Deciphering an Enigma
by LittleSnowDancer
Summary: Sorry 4 the lag! Chap 7 up! Tezuka Kunimitsu isn't much of a talker. What's the ever-stoic captain to do when his, ironically, phlegmatic personality pokes the curiosity of an immensely inquisitive transfer student?.. Who just so happens to be a telepath
1. Part 1: Introducing Kazue Tomoyo

**Standard Disclaimer:**

Prince of Tennis and all its characters do not—unfortunately—belong to me, and are designed and created by Takeshi Konomi. However, the plot 'Unravelling Tezuka Kunimitsu, and all the original characters that will be in it are mine.

**Author's Note:**

Alright, here I go again. This is my second attempt at writing fan fiction. I must admit, I am quite nervous about writing this one, since it's purely based on inspiration and a product of my active imagination. I don't know how this will fair with my first story 'Battle of the Tensais', since, as I have mentioned, it is not based on a true story.

The concept of the story has something to do with telepathy and for that I will be attempting to use a different style of writing. You will find that there will be a lot of person to person POV shifts, and I plan on shifting between first person to third person narration. Do you think it's a good idea? It's purpose is to add effect to the story's psychokinetic gist. Don't worry, if I find it too confusing, I'll fix it up straight away.

So on to the Summary...

**Summary:**

When God decided to shower the world with blessings, Tezuka Kunimitsu, the walking iceberg, just had to pass by with his umbrella upside down. Too bad the typical human ability of 'expression' was out of God's "Blessing List" that time. So, because of his lack of 'conversational skills' and natural impassiveness, Tezuka Kunimitsu remains to be one of the biggest unsolved mysteries known to man.

Well, that's all about to change as a new girl, set apart by God to hold the power of telepathy, transfers to Seishun Gakuen Middle School and decides to invade the unchartered territory that is Tezuka Kunimitsu's brain. Will the, ironically, perplexing block of ice push the immensely curious mind reader to abuse her abilities to the extent of becoming fixated? Or will she be able to stop before she learns he is a puzzle she should have never attempted to unravel?

_**/...**_**character thoughts.../**

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**Part I**

Introducing Kazue Tomoyo.

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**--Seishun Gakuen Middle School--**

Anxiety undermined me as I stared in awe at the towering structure before me. I have done this a number times before, but perhaps the concept of 'permanence', which has recently been inputted in my mental dictionary, contributed to the growing sense of apprehension within me. Slowly, I began to feel myself become intimidated by vast enormity of the remarkably outstanding learning establishment—what most people, myself included, colloquially refer to as 'school'—ahead. Admiring the grandiose of the complex from an outsider's perspective a final time, I straightened my distastefully mint green skirt, despite it being nowhere near the word 'pleated', and walked through the prison-barred gates.

After a few minutes of blind circling and aimless wandering, I finally reached the end of my self-guided 'expedition' when I accidentally, quite fortunately, stumbled upon the campus' administration office. I came to realize that if I'd opted to continue walking straight from the main entrance, I would have saved tremendous 'quanta of energy' that I could have utilised for more imperative matters, such as solving math problems, or preventing myself from committing physical blunder during P.E. I mentally kicked myself for having carelessly failed to spot the bold-faced sign that was impossible to miss. It was like the gigantic 'M' sign of a McDonald's restaurant stationed in the middle of the Arabian Desert, all it lacked was the neon lighting. Figuring there was no point in mulling over the trivial experience, I shakily gripped the round, silver door knob and nervously let myself in.

I was greeted by a plump, middle-aged, purple-clad woman, who welcomed me with a warm, hospitable smile. I introduced myself, and she did the same. She then proceeded to leafing through a stack of coloured papers and eventually I found myself staring silently at the creases on her forehead while I waited. Wisdom marks, my mother often corrected me, whenever I would poke fun at her growing number of wrinkles.

She handed me an envelope with selected papers from the stack. Thereafter she gave me a black leather-bound book, with the words 'Seishun Gakuen Planner' on the cover. Logically I assumed this was my school diary. She then branded a stiff piece of paper with what I presumed to be the school stamp, and then handed me a slip after having torn on the perforation. She told me it was a form to get an identification card, and instructed me to head to the Library on my free time to get my I.D. photo taken. I inspected my envelope to see if all my essentials were in check; timetable, a copy of the school map, I.D. form, diary and a copy of the student handbook—which I'm quite certain I will not be reading. Seeing everything was there, I bade the administrator, Ms. Miyako, goodbye. She told me "Good luck!" before I made my way out.

After shutting the door behind me, I fished my timetable out of the large envelope. I read the top, left-hand corner twice to see what section I belonged to. "3-1", I registered clearly and then rummaged through the stack to get my copy of the school map. I began to trudge leftward after tracing the shortest route to my newly assigned classroom. The map was straight-forward, and so painlessly guided me to my class. As soon as I was able to identify the "3-1" sign, I instantly felt my heart race, my palms sweat and my knees wobble. I was nervous.

I stood behind the sliding door and knocked a few times, three to be exact. The door was slid open by a scrawny, vertically challenged woman, my 170-something centimetres stature easily towered over. By a rough estimate, I would guess her to be around her mid 20s, her 'neophyte-educator' image was what I used as basis. She ushered me to the middle of the teacher's podium, instructed me to introduce myself to the class, went to a tiny crevice far too small to be called a 'corner', and left me to tread deep waters and become shark bait to highly a curious-looking group of teenagers. I fidgeted, practically choked, and started sweating like a fat man on a treadmill, when I struggled to begin my introduction. It was no more comforting that everyone in the room mentally played '50 questions' in their heads, deafening my ears and straining my pulsating brain with every word that was thought by different people at the same moment.

Yes, you read it right. "Mentally played", "every word thought". You see, from a stranger's perspective, I am but an average human being, fully equipped with typical human attributes: two eyes, two ears, one mouth, one nose, ten toes, ten fingers—okay, so let's not get into too much detail. However, unknown to these 'outsiders' is my unique special ability that makes me different, distinct, yet elusively above the rest of the world's teenage population.

You see, when I was but a toddler, around one or one and a half years of age, my parents were surprised to find that I, their only child, was already capable of engaging in a full, intellectual conversation. By the early age of three, when my parents had finally found courage to seek help from specialists, we discovered why.

At that tender age, I have learned that I possess the ability to hear people's thoughts, read their minds, whichever way you want to call it. Of course my parents were quite cynical about the idea at first, but it was a very reasonable explanation to how I was able to, at such an innocent age, communicate like people beyond my years did. So, not long after, my parents and I have accepted the fact that I was—what all the specialists we sought help from coined—a telepath. And since having accepted this revelation, my whole life, until 2 years ago, has forever been dedicated to honing, controlling and perfecting this one-of-a-kind ability.

So there you go, story of my life. Well, it's a rapid summary. My apologies for having the tendency to digress. Now where were we?

I closed my eyes, a practice I have developed to clear my head of the unwanted sounds.

"Anou..." I heard my soprano voice mutter. /Don't stuff it up now!/ I lectured myself to become motivated to continue.

"Konnichiwa minna-san. Watashi wa Kazue Tomoyo desu. Hajimemashite."

The worst was finally over. I can breathe again. I was quite ecstatic at the fact that I had prevented myself from stammering before concluding my introduction. I straightened from my bowing position as I heard my homeroom teacher speak. She was now outside the tiny crevice from which she hid.

"We're glad to have you with us Kazue-chan. My name is Miss Okita." I bowed again as the scrawny woman that was to be in charge of my homeroom class introduced herself.

"Would you mind telling the class a few things about yourself? Perhaps something that you think distinguishes you from the rest of the class?"

I stiffened at my teacher's innocent request. You do understand that from my perspective, the question would not seem so harmless.

"Um... F-few things?" I stuttered. "Like what?" I asked with my best 'innocent look'. In my head I heard the class erupt in laughter. I felt my cheeks burn despite the classroom's actual undisrupted silence.

"Hmm... It's up to you. Maybe a hobby, or special talent?" I heard her suggest.

"Special Talent?" I nearly squeaked as I panicked to think of something. /Ah, What the heck! May as well give 'em a surprise/ I thought, finally giving in to the pressure of revealing my special talent.

"Well..." I started, then smiled when I saw my classmates' ears perk up. My confidence was slowly growing. "I do have a few talents I could share with the class." I announced, putting my black backpack down and proceeded to rummaging the front pocket. I revealed a deck of cards and my school mates instantly looked on with interest.

"Let me show you my cool party trick." I winked.

"Are there any volunteers?" I inquired. Immediately hands went flying in the air. I randomly pointed to a mousy boy with a greasy black mop for hair wearing soda-bottle glasses. /Why him?/ I asked myself, convulsed by the choice I had made.

"May I know your name?" I asked, an attempt to make myself sound like a professional entertainer.

I heard his nervous, shrill voice say, "Koutarou."

"Hello, Koutarou-kun." I greeted. "Would you like to pick a card? Any card." I spread the deck of cards out and held it up using both hands. The back of the cards faced me, of course. He shakily picked a card in the middle of the stack. I spun around to face the whiteboard and instructed Koutarou to memorize his selected card, then after, show it to the spectators. I smirked as I heard my classmates' growing murmurs of excitement.

"Yup." He signalled, sounding more at ease with me now. I stood behind Koutarou and then turned to face the class. I put my hand on his shoulder and closed my eyes, for effect. But you see, this notion isn't merely for show.

You see, telepathy—the power to read minds—isn't as simple as perusing an open book. I have learned that Film and Television have largely contributed to the debasing of this unique ability, blatantly presenting to the public incorrect portrayals of my psychokinetic ability. To put it simply, it doesn't work the way you think it does.

Like everything, there are certain... rules to mind reading. To be able to read a person's mind, a specific, single person's thoughts, a telepath must establish some sort of connection. Without this connection, a telepath can only either: listen to a wild chorus of thoughts from all the surrounding people that are within a 2 kilometre radius—my estimation, or to not 'eavesdrop' at all. Some sort of link is required to be able to focus on a single person. And once you concentrate on reading a single person's mind, everything else is tuned out.

There are different types of connections a telepath can establish. The deeper the connection, the more finely attuned to that person the telepath becomes. One way of 'connecting' is through physical contact, like my hand on Koutarou-kun's shoulder. Of course, such a shallow link only allows the telepath to tune into that certain person's thoughts for a limited amount of time and a restricted distance. Such deeper connections, like a maternal or paternal link, allows one such as me to tune into my parents' thoughts, no matter how far they may be. I could opt to go inside my mother's head at this very moment to see if she's come up with a menu for dinner!

And again you find me going off the tangent. My sincerest apologies, again.

I concentrated on reading Koutarou's thoughts before opening my eyes. A smirk played on my lips as I met the class' excited eyes. "And the card you picked is..." I paused to keep the audience at the edge of their seats.

After getting what I wanted, I removed my hand on Koutarou's shoulder, then I put my index and middle finger on my temple, to seem as if I really was in deep thought.

"The king of diamonds." I declared with confidence. The series of 'ooh's' and 'aah's' that followed were no surprise, as were the 'HOW DID SHE DO THAT?s' that echoed in more than 80 percent of my classmates' minds.

"Magic." I simply stated, beating them to the punch. I bowed, like how magicians do after the end of every act, while a loud applause resonated in the entire classroom.

"That was very impressive." Miss Okita commended. As soon as my new classmates settled down, she put her bony index finger on her chin and started to scan the room in search of a vacant seat.

"Ah!" I saw her eyes gleam as she succeeded in spotting an empty desk. "Tezuka-kun, would you please raise your hand?" She requested. I quickly traced her gaze and found myself nearly gawking at the radiant being that obediently held his hand up. Please don't misunderstand, other than my admiration for his physical perfection, I felt no romantic attraction toward my strapping, soon-to-be seatmate.

Out of curiosity, I turned my 'psychic mode' on to see how the females would react. I soon regretted that decision as a series of unified whining, moaning and groaning filled my mind. Turning 'psychic mode' off, I thought /Heh! Predictable.../ The magnitude of my soon-to-be-seatmate's popularity with the opposite sex was really something to marvel at.

As soon as I reached my assigned seat, I hung my bag on the hook attached to the side of my new desk. Pulling the chair away from the table, I sat myself down and braced myself for my last first day of school.

/Look cool because today it's all for good./ I reminded myself as I recalled my personal vendetta, which is: to be able to exponentially expand my social circle. I inhaled deeply one more time, thrilled by the thought that today, I am finally able to live a life of normalcy. I heard Miss Okita begin to drone, and I looked around to find that all my classmates have started to discreetly engage in their own 'recreational activities'; hushed chatter or surreptitiously doodling on their notebooks. I smirked. It was just like how I'd seen in movies.

I then glanced at my seatmate, curious to see what mischief he was up to, and found myself nearly fall flat on my face with what I saw. There he was, sitting quietly on his seat, obviously paying close attention to our teacher's lecture, while everyone else enjoyed their private conversations. And here I thought he was the type to surreptitiously dally with AT LEAST one of the members of his excessive female fan base while the teacher's back was turned, what with his impeccable good looks and all.

/Have I wasted my life watching deceitful, misleading high school movies? Are teenage boys really like this? Or is this Tezuka person just clearly someone out of the ordinary?/

I decided to wait a few more minutes into the class—Social Studies, I thought it was—to observe my seemingly diligent seatmate again. I noticed there was no change in his facial expression at all, he remained stoic and unfazed by what went on around him. He was still diligently taking notes and intently listening to every word Miss Okita said.

/Are you not going to do anything else? Possibly something close to 'juvenile' or 'delinquent'? Or juvenile delinquent?!/ I spoke to him in my head. /Surely no one is THAT perfect?/ I inwardly scoffed in disbelief.

/Not a talker eh? How peculiar.../ I thought as I secretly observed him from my seat. I began to feel a deep sense of foreboding that told me this Tezuka-san MAY indeed be 'all that'. No. I refuse to believe someone so unspoiled lives to walk on this earth.

/There's only one way to find out./ A sly smile crept on my lips as I finally committed to initiating the devious ploy I have conjured in my head a few moments ago, but have been refraining to do so because of its 'moral repugnance.'

/Forgive me for submitting to my much too curious mind, Tezuka-san. I am only human./

I deliberately dropped my black pen on the floor, close to where the foot of his chair was. I saw his lashes flicker slightly when he averted his gaze from the whiteboard to the floor, his rimless, oval glasses slipping just slightly off the bridge of his nose as he bent down to retrieve the black ballpoint.

"I believe this is yours." I heard his deep, monotone voice say, referring to the 'naughty' black pen that 'accidentally' landed in his possession. He impassively stared at me while patiently waiting for me to regain my composure and take the pen off his hand.

"Arigatou." I finally said after poising myself.

"Aa..." He merely shrugged it off, his naturally detached demeanour further poking my curiosity.

"Anou, I'm Kazue Tomoyo by the way. Tezuka-san, was it?" I stretched my hand out to initiate a handshake.

"Hai. Tezuka Kunimitsu. Dozo Yoroshiku." He replied in his naturally mundane tone as he closed the gap between my slightly sweaty palm and his incredibly warm one.

/Mission accomplished/

I resisted the urge to smile triumphantly.

**--**

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**Author's Note:**

So, how did you find it? My sister says it's better written than 'Battle of the Tensais!', but I'd like to know how it fares story-wise? Should I continue it (I know there's still much to be revealed)? Or leave it as a one-shot (As my sister said would be fine as well)?

Also, I'd like to ask for some opinions about changing the narration from first person point of view to third person point of view? The purpose of this is stated at the above author's note.

I know I haven't even completed my first story yet, but inspiration just hit me and I had to write it down!

Sorry, fixed that things that didn't make sense just now. Annoying how I find them after having just posted the story!

**Please don't forget to review on your way out! Even a really short one would do just fine. THANK YOU!**


	2. A Lesson Learned The Hard Way

**Author's Notes:**

AIYA! MY BAD GUYS! I accidentally replaced this chapter with Chapter 20 of Battle of the Tensais! SORRY SORRY! The problem has been resolved. Really really truly I apologise about that! SORRY SORRY SORRY, a million times over! Ah! What was I thinking?! The potential audience I must have lost by that careless blunder!

Anyway, a very short chapter up ahead, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. This chapter is an experiment, a test-run. I am trying to see whether it is better to write in first person narratives, or to shift between the POV to POV. Please tell me what you think! Thank you very much!

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**Chapter 2**

A Lesson Learned the Hard Way

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**--Tezuka's Point of View--**

I cautiously examined the new transfer student beside me, subtly eyeing her from head to toe as I shook her sweaty, outstretched hand.

I did not get the chance to fully look at her a while ago. I was lured into watching her perform her magic act, with the motive to spot the deception behind her trick. It wasn't the first time I've seen someone perform the 'mind reader', but the variation of her act entranced me to watch with the whole class. I've never seen the trick performed the way she had before.

When Ms. Okita suggested she share a talent to the class, she seemed surprised and reluctant enough for me to presume she was not prepared. So when she revealed a deck of cards from the pocket of her bag, and called on a volunteer without even shuffling or cutting the deck, I was, inwardly of course, curious. Usually magicians masked the trick in the shuffling or the cutting, so how then could she pull the trick together when she did neither? And then she even turned her back around to show the class her act was legitimate.

When she finally identified what card Koutarou picked, I was, albeit not showing it, astonished by her accurate prediction. Her performance was so flawless that if I were a seven year-old, or if I were Eiji, I would have actually, naively, believed her when she said it was 'magic'.

Now here I sat with another chance to fully give her an once-over, and being one who doesn't allow opportunities to pass, I covertly did so. So she's pretty, I'll give her that, but I couldn't shake the feeling of suspiciousness when I saw her right hand still lingering on mine, seeming as though she had no intention of letting go, like she was considering shaking my hand for eternity. Worse yet, biting it off and selling it on the internet. I tried my best to refrain from staring at her oddly. I felt the impulse to retrieve my captured hand from her clutches, and I would've done so had the concept not strike me as being rude.

/Don't let your guard down./ I reminded myself while I waited for her to let go. Honestly, could you blame me for being wary considering my status with the school's entire female population? /Any minute now.../ I thought, starting to get impatient.

Then, as if reading my mind, she abruptly let go.

/Finally.../ I sighed mentally in relief. I then noticed the dubious smile that started playing on her lips. /Did I give her a wrong impression?/ God knows, the last thing I ever needed was another misled female signing up to my growing double-X chromosome fanbase. /I would certainly not be able to tolerate swooning, shrieking, squealing and most definitely not drooling, from such a close distance./ I thought, returning my gaze to Okita-sensei, currently the only female in the room who deserved my constant attention.

**--Tomoyo's Point of View--**

/Swooning? Shrieking? Squealing? DROOLING?!/ I repeated irately. The nerve of this Tezuka fellow! I'm appalled to know that he actually considered I was the type to stoop so low. For me to actually do all those, he would have to be Kakashi Hatake! /Ah... Kakashi-sensei, I wonder what goes on in his mind... If only he were real.../ I sighed dreamily.

/Too late.../ I heard his baritone voice in my head.

I glanced to his direction, trying to hide any possible trace of irritation on my face. /Ugh! That sigh was NOT intended for you!/ I scoffed after seeing he was back to attentively listening to whatever the hell Miss Okita was saying. To prevent my temper from further being inflamed, I decided to let his offensive thoughts pass with the 'male ego' explanation, my mother's overused excuse for my father's arrogant antics. I guess even the seemingly perfect Tezuka Kunimitsu, suffered, no matter how slightly, from the unrecognized disease that infected all males who inhabit this earth.

I decided to take a loose sheet of paper out of my hard, plastic, file case. Holding it down on the desk, I wrote, overwhelmed by annoyance that I almost carved the words on the wooden desk,

_Tezuka Kunimitsu_

_Like an M&M only:_

_The shell is dull and boring on the outside_

_The 'chocolate' is sour on the inside!_

I finished the metaphorical statement, with the final dot on the exclamation point puncturing a hole on the timber desk. I looked over to him again, and found my anger instantly vanquished when I met his dark, hazel eyes. His features had remained unfazed, and yet something in his eyes was different. He stared at me, the placidity in his eyes gone and was instead filled with forewarning... no... something worse... Was it... dread?

**--Tezuka's Point of View--**

/Too late.../ I thought in defeat. I tried to warn her, but she was already far too deep into her own world that she was not able to detect my alarming glances. I should have called to her, I know the probability of the effectiveness of warning someone with furtive glances was close to zero, but it was too uncharacteristic for me to do so. I was foolish to think that intensifying my presence or bellowing at her in my head would eventually snap her out of her daze, it's not like she could hear my thoughts. Nudging was another option, but everyone's attentions were already fixed on her, and it would be too noticeable.

In my head, I mentally sighed. It's a pity she'll have to experience this on her first day. What was she thinking anyway? Was it of that great an importance that she had practically blocked everything out and became completely unaware of what went on around her?

**--Tomoyo's Point of View--**

/What? Is there something on my face?/ I self-consciously thought as I stared into my stoic seatmate's eyes. I tried to listen to his thoughts but its silence only heightened my trepidation. I finally found the nerve to break from his gaze to lookaround the class and see what was happening. I was stunned to find cautioning eyes staring back at me. The silence was unnerving. Suddenly I was confused to whether I was still eavesdropping on my seatmate's thoughts. I don't remember having switched my telepathic ability off, and it was far too short a time for the link to be cut short. So why was everything so quiet? Why was he staring at me, literally blankly?

/What was the last thing he thought?/ I virtually squeezed all the juice out of my brain as I scrambled to remember what my impassive seatmate's last thought was. I was far too absorbed by my irritation to remember. It was something like... 'Too late.' No, he must have thought something else when I was occupied by the thought of 'Kakashi Hatake'.

And then a light bulb switched on. I remember. It was something like...

/Snap out of it, Kazue-san, Sensei called you/

After stumbling upon that last thought, I turned my head to the teacher's podium and found Miss Okita had transformed into a shrivelled, flimsy looking man, with two strands of hair left on his glistening, shiny head. I was not too taken by his thick, black plastic spectacles that glimmered underhandedly, nor by his thick, bushy eye brows that were in serious need of trimming. No, what seized my attention the most was the humongous, hefty mole that had a protruding strand of hair he so repulsively stroked. /IT. HAS. HAIR./ I shuddered at the unpleasant creature before me. You see, my revulsion for hideous things can equally be rivalled by my fondness for radiant beings. And so now you understand why currently, all my body hairs are standing.

/Don't stare at his... Too late/ I heard my seatmate's voice in my head again.

/He?/ I thought. So this... specimen... isn't Okita-sensei. For a brief moment, I felt a wave of relief wash over me. And then all too quickly, it was gone when I realized /Wait, THIS ISN'T OKITA-SENSEI?!/

I did inform you right? Whenever I focused on a sole person's mind, EVERYTHING else is filtered out. Here you see a clear example of that. While I was too enraged while carving—writing—the creative, metaphorical statement about my highly undemonstrative seatmate, I had forgotten to turn off 'psychic mode' and overlooked the fact that I was still tuned into his channel. Hence I became oblivious to everything else that went around the world. I even failed to notice that first period had ended and the next class had begun.

I stood up, recalling why my seatmate bellowed at me mentally. The new teacher had called me.

/For what?/ I asked myself as I averted my eyes to the board, hoping that it would at least clue me in on what the subject was. Then, I stiffened as I read the string of 'X's' and numbers that were scrawled unevenly on the board. Of all the 6 subjects that I could possibly have had next, it had to be this. Clearly my plan of leaving a good first impression on everyone, teachers included, would be thwarted by the confrontation of Algebra and Kazue Tomoyo.

My mouth began to quiver as I gathered all the courage to get it open. The feeble math's teacher's sadistic smile sent a disquieting chill down my spine.

So there I was, making a fool of myself in front of the whole class, as I awkwardly, ignorantly, stared at the convoluted problem on the board.

/Is she provoking him? It's not difficult at all./ I heard the familiar monotone voice speak again.

/Says you!/ I retorted mentally. And then, upon an idea, my head snapped up. My eyes twinkled in delight. Finally a way to elude this troublesome pickle! Thank you Tezuka Kunimitsu!

I concentrated hard, expectantly waiting for him to think of what I urgently wanted. His voice was becoming vague now, random voices were starting to penetrate through my head, threatening to muffle his voice before I could extract from him what I needed. The time limit was almost up.

He gave the whiteboard a passing look before shifting his gaze to his notebook and starting to scribble something in it.

/Negative 4 plus or minus.../

My ears perked up and I completely ignored the sadistic maths teacher, who's cunning smile instantly faltered upon seeing the glimmer of hope in my eyes.

/The square root of...asfhfjsdhjsdjksngjdgnasfhahgnsgknlkgna/

The colour in my face drained, my blood ceased to circulate, and the light in my eyes were gone. All that was left were the amalgamated thoughts of all Seishun Gakuen students, thundering in my head as they intermingled to form an illogical, nonsensical jargon.

/I shall never use my powers unless necessary ever again/

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**Author's Notes:**

So here it is, my experimental chapter 2. I tried swapping point of views between Tezuka and Tomyo, trying to see if working with various POVs would be good or not. It can only either be good, or bothersome. Well, it's up to you guys to decide.

Really really big sorry to all those people who wanted to read chapter 2! ACK! I seriously slapped myself for that blundering mistake! Ah!! I could only imagine how weird that would've been, reading an exerpt from an entirely different story!

Again, I apologise. I hope you all find it in you to pardon my incompetence, it was truly an honest mistake!

Anyway...

**My sincerest apologies! Please don't forget to review on your way out! Thank You! Come Again!**


	3. The End of the First Day

**Author's Notes**

Hey all! Sorry if it's taken me aaaaaaages to update this story. The truth was that I had been caught in a devastating writer's block! ..And, well, I guess I can partially blame the school work. Before, I was lucky enough to have never experienced this illness that plague writers from across the world, and now that I have, I can conclude with confidence that it is something utterly irritating and frustrating. I've pictured in my head what to make of this story, yet the "filler chapters" are a bit hard to make. I've spent the last... month or so... thinking of what to make of these chapters, listed them down... It is truly worse than hitting a brick wall, for it is the brick wall that hits you!

Thankfully now, I am out of this unproductive state. So yes, now I can actually write the story without any obstruction. Everything is planned out and has been carefully thought, it is just a matter of putting them into words. It's not that big a hurdle compared to an uninspired mind.

Also, I have read all your overwhelming reviews and I must say, before I forget, that I'd like to thank the people who have taken the time and effort to leave a constructive review. I have taken in what you have suggested, and Lord smite me now, I promise to work on the buggering details that disrupt the flow of this story. The perfectionist in me refuses to let this story stoop to mediocrity (not that it is great enough to bask in its glory, by mediocrity I meant in my books), not if I can help it.

After conducting my experiments, chapters 1 and 2, my mind is now set in writing the story in Tomoyo's point of view only. Also, I shall try to avoid using highfaluting vocabulary, but I must say, there is a reason why my character speaks in such a manner.

So now without further ado, I give you the third chapter of Unravelling Tezuka Kunimitsu (will be titled "Deciphering an Enigma" after a week's time).

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**Chapter 3**

The End of the First Day

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**--Just before lunch time--**

History was my fourth period subject. It was also another class that Miss Okita, my homeroom teacher, taught. Isn't it wonderful, seeing the same teacher three times each day? Every morning for 15 minute homeroom, for 45 minutes during social studies, and for another 45 minutes during history. I sighed before glancing at the round wall clock, just over the whiteboard. If I read my timetable correctly, there was but 5 minutes left before the lunch bell rang.

"Alright class, we'll end it a few minutes early today." Miss Okita declared. Instantly, exultant "YES!s" echoed in the room.

"Not too loud." Miss Okita warned, probably already expecting what my classmates would resort to. I watched them with amusement as they began to engage in hushed chatter with their seatmates. I didn't notice that my petite homeroom teacher had made her way to the back of the room, in front of the seat on which I sat.

"Kazue-chan." She called to me.

I stopped my 'people watching' and tilted my head up to meet my teacher's gaze. It was a bit strange to see her tower slightly over me when I sat down.

"Hai?" I answered.

"How are you finding school so far?" She inquired.

At that moment, my brain had seemed to have lost its capacity to think. My mind seemed to have blanked out, as though my brain cells have all been obliterated, upon hearing her question. Inside me was a mixture of feelings, excitement, insecurity... The way I felt was indescribable. It could not be summed by even the most profound words in the English dictionary. In the end I settled for an uncreative "It's huge." Lameness at its best, I admit, but at least it was the truth. I was certain she would not understand why I felt so overwhelmed by the mere thought of going to school.

She nodded her head before speaking again. "Yes. It is indeed, isn't it?" She looked thoughtful upon the end of her statement. I then saw her turn her head to my seatmate, who busily occupied himself with copying the notes on the board.

"Tezuka-san?" She called. I saw my seatmate put his pen down, stand up and bow his head to acknowledge my teacher. He simply left me at awe by his politeness.

"Hai?" He inquired, although it didn't sound anything like a question.

"I wonder..." Miss Okita began. Tezuka-san eyed her expectantly. "Would you be kind enough to give Kazue-san here a tour of the school?" Her question seemed to have taken both Tezuka-san and I by surprise.

I saw him regain his composure before he acquiesced to our sensei's request. So, Tezuka-san would never resist an elder. I jotted that down on his record book in my head.

"D-demo sensei..." I stuttered. "I'll be fine. Miyako-sensei gave me a map of the school." I informed, trying to reason my way out of the arrangement. She shook her head in disagreement before replying.

"I know. But I rather my students be toured around the school than leave them to wander around by themselves." She smiled. I myself could feel the endearment she held towards her students. It pushed me into regarding her more highly. I now look at her a renewed sense of respect and admiration.

"Besides, it nulls the generic excuse 'I got lost.' New kids usually cough that one out whenever they're late for class." The lunch bell rang. Miss Okita beamed before leaving, there was veiled mischief in her smile, and the admiration I felt for her was no longer present.

/So that's what it was!/ I exclaimed in my head. I heard my seatmate clear his throat and so I turned my head to see him eyeing me expectantly.

"Are you sure it's not a bother?" I asked him insecurely.

He whisked his head curtly before starting to walk to the door. I took that as my cue and stood to trail behind him. Before my exit, I noticed the incredulous looks in my female classmates' faces. It was wise to keep my telepathic ability dormant that time, or my ear drums would've been shattered by their piercing wails.

**--Lunch--**

We went around the school, my so-called tour. I think it would have been more entertaining had Miss Okita assigned that fern I had just passed to be my tour guide. Tezuka-san's 'tour' would've put a rampaging grizzly to sleep. Coerce them into hibernating during the summer even!

"Music room." He droned, pointing to a door on my left. I couldn't find the strength to prevent my upper lids from falling.

"Canteen." He said in monotone before coming to a stop. I, who was paying more attention to the lines on the tiled floor, failed to notice that my tour guide had come to a halt and so kept walking behind him.

Newton's Law of Inertia states that; "An object in motion will continue in motion, while an object at rest would remain at rest, unless disrupted by an opposite force."

Sad to say, I, Kazue Tomoyo, had to be that object in motion, while Tezuka-san had the pleasure of playing the brick wall that was the opposite force.

I found myself fully awake, as my bottom hit the cold, concrete floor. I groaned, part in pain and part in irritation. This first day of school was slowly turning into a first day in hell. Nothing seemed to be going the way I'd planned.

I opened my eyes to meet the amused faces around me. My embarrassment seemed to be more appetizing than the food on my spectators' plates. I felt my cheeks burn, as I stared meekly into their scrutinizing eyes. I braced myself from the raucous laughter, yet I was stunned to find silence instead.

/Is she okay?/ I heard a concerned voice say. The baritone and deepness was familiar. And then I realized the person whom the sole voice belonged.

/Oh!/ I exclaimed, realizing what had just happened. I had accidentally made physical contact with Tezuka-san when I absentmindedly crashed into him. /So that explains the silence./ I thought.

My musing came to a stop when I saw an outstretched hand in front of me. I gripped it firmly before allowing it to pull me up.

/She doesn't seem hurt./ I heard the uncertain voice speak again. It was awkward to hear a different tone in Tezuka-san's voice. It felt as though inside he was entirely different from the stoic and unfazed boy standing before me. I stared at him, dumbfounded, as I again tried to decipher him.

/She's staring./ The same blank voice stated. I felt the heat emanating from my face before I quickly let my eyes search for something to gaze at. And then I saw them, the two 'creatures of the light' standing behind him. I gaped at the radiance of their beauty, the curious looking redhead and the effervescently smiling brown-haired one. The latter had a hand under his chin. I could tell he was examining me. That realization made the pink in my cheeks turn crimson.

/Should I take her to the infirmary?/ Tezuka-san asked himself. I realized what an idiot I must look like, standing idly while I mused.

"Ah, there's no need for that!" I declined. I saw my stoic tour guide quirk his brow. Then my eyes widened and my hands automatically draped over my clumsy mouth. /Kazue Tomoyo! What are you thinking! You're still in psychic mode!/ I scolded myself. I'm not one to make the same mistake twice and so decided to turn my psychokinetic ability off.

"I mean... Err... There's no need for that... fern!.." I exclaimed, pointing accusingly at the innocent looking plant beside a vending machine. "I mean, doesn't this place look green enough already?" I asked. I should kick myself for such a pathetic and pitiable excuse. Mentally I begged for lightning to strike me on the spot. God is being especially sadistic today.

"Hoi? But the canteen is white." I heard a squeaky voice say. I turned my head and realized it came from the curious-looking redhead.

"Saa... Indeed it is, Eiji." The brown-haired one agreed before chuckling. His smooth, almost feminine-voice sent chills down my spine. I was probably gawking at his melodious laughter.

"Are you alright, Kazue-san?" The monotone voice inquired.

I shifted my gaze to Tezuka-san and bringing both hands up I awkwardly said, "Yes, yes. No harm done!"

I berated myself mentally for making myself look more and more like a buffoon every minute. I gulped upon seeing the three attractive fellows eye me suspiciously.

"Ne, Tezuka. Aren't you going to introduce us to your _friend_." The brown-haired one said. I was finally able to breathe knowing the spotlight was no longer on me. A weird expression flitted on Tezuka-san's face. I thought I saw his eye twitch.

"Nya! YEAH! Tezuka, you are so unfair!" I heard the redheaded one whine, the loudness of his voice made me cringe.

"Aa..." I heard my stoic tour guide utter his usual reply. "Kazue-san, this is Kikumaru Eiji" He began, motioning to the cat-like redhead. Upon my introduction, the redhead bounced forward and wrapped me into a bone-crushing hug. Uh-oh.

/NYA! KAWAIIIIII!/ I cringed at the volume of his excited voice. His _normal _talking voice was no match for his mental one. Hastily I rushed to turn my telepathy off.

"Careful, Eiji, we wouldn't want to suffocate Kazue-san now would we?" The brown-haired one warned, his subtle attempt to break the hug that would've put a boa constrictor to shame. I silently marvelled at the brown-haired one's quick wit.

"Hoi? Suffo-what?" The redhead asked, releasing me from his embrace. The brown-haired one chuckled. Again, I was blessed to hear the melodious laughter.

Tezuka-san cleared his throat. "Kazue-san, this is Fuji Syuusuke." I felt my heart race at the mention of his name. /Fuji Syuusuke.../I repeated dreamily. Luckily I was not so into my fantasy to have not noticed Fuji-san's outstretched hand. I wiped my sweaty palm on my skirt before I took his.

"Pleased to meet you, Fuji-san. My name is Kazue To—" Before I could finish my self-introduction, I felt all the hairs on my body stand on end. A cold chill ran down my spine and I quickly withdrew my hand from his clutches. I heaved a deep breath, preparing myself, before I willed my lead-heavy legs to start scampering away.

I caught a glimpse of Kikumaru-san's bewildered face and Tezuka-san's questioning gaze, before I rocketed away.

I found myself finally alone at a corner by a staircase. With my hand on the wall to keep me balanced, I ravenously inhaled the oxygen I'd since deprived my lungs of. Finally, after a few more seconds, my breathing became even. Standing straight, I combed my fingers through the strands of my mahogany hair. I felt myself shudder when an image of Tezuka-san's brown-haired friend flash in my head.

Fuji Syuusuke. Never have I seen a mind so dark and sinister.

**--Dismissal--**

I sighed in defeat upon hearing the chiming of the final school bell. My first day has finally come to a conclusion. Listlessly, I packed my school things, pens in my pencil case, notebooks in my school bag. Enervated, I trudged to my locker to deposit my textbooks, all except for the maths one. I swear that terror of a teacher, Sato-sensei, was the devil's advocate. He nearly assigned us an entire chapter to miserably work on tonight, minus 3 or 4 questions. I'll surely be needing Katagawa-san's help tonight.

I sighed again, then shook my head of the frustrating thoughts to pay attention to where I was going. I increased my pace upon sighting my locker. The halls were impoverished of people, the students all seemed eager to get home, charging out the classroom doors like bats out of hell when they heard the dismissal bell ring. As I neared my destination, I finally noticed the silhouette of a person standing near the locker bay, perhaps engaged in what I was going to do myself. So I was not _the _only soul left. I marched up to... him, his locker door concealing the rest of his identity from me. His locker was next to mine.

"Hello." I greeted sociably. The slight clanging on his locker's metal walls seemed to stop upon hearing my acknowledgement. I was mildly taken aback when this mystery person finally revealed himself to me.

"Aa... Hello Kazue-san." I heard the familiar monotone voice speak. I stared blankly at Tezuka-san's eternally stoic face, his head was slightly angled so that he could peer from the side of his locker door.

I smiled upon noticing his slightly upraised brow.

"Heading home?" I asked, my attempt for small talk while dialling the combination on my lock.

One would think I'd be irritated by his presence, after being sentenced to stand outside the classroom because of him. But as I stood to take my punishment, I realized that I have brought everything upon myself. I was wrong to invade other people's thoughts to satisfy my curiosity. It was irresponsible for me to do so. I did not bear a grudge on Tezuka-san for thinking the way he did. For all I know, I may have hastily jumped to conclusions. Maybe that was why he kept to himself, for fear that his straightforwardness may be misinterpreted and misunderstood.

"No. I have tennis practice." The same baritone voice interrupted my internal monologue. He replied briskly but politely. I could tell he only meant to keep his words at minimum.

I merely nodded my head in comprehension before I myself proceeded stocking the shelves on my locker with textbooks. That was another thing I learned today. Tezuka-san preferred to keep his opinions to himself. He isn't a talker. What I wonder though, is why he keeps only one facial expression, that stern and stoic one. Was abstaining from a social conversation not enough? Did he truly not want others to have a clue?

I shook my head disapprovingly, berating myself from firing these questions. I was prying again.

Again my thoughts were interrupted upon hearing a faint bang. I turned my attention to the sound and found Tezuka-san slinging a huge, white bag on his shoulders. It had the word "Wilson" printed on it in red. Logically, I assumed this was his tennis bag.

"I'll be on my way, Kazue-san." He informed me. I was mildly awestruck by the formality with which he spoke.

"See you tomorrow, Tezuka-san. Good luck with your tennis practice." I bowed politely and he did the same. I smiled at him, my goodbye, and he raised his hand to wave me his. I noticed his brow had slightly quirked again, and my curiosity started to seep. I stared at his retreating back thinking-

/Tezuka Kunimitsu. A natural enigma./

After placing the last of my books in my locker, I closed it shut, securing it with the stainless combination lock. Slinging my black backpack on my shoulders, I cradled the thick maths textbook with my left arm and proceeded to head to the shoe lockers. Putting my black, leather shoes on, I then headed out the exit, which was also the entrance to the main building, and found a familiar black BMW awaiting me by the driveway. I saw a familiar tanned man in his usual black suit waiting by the back passenger door. I smiled upon seeing his buzzed grey and black hair was not covered by the black beret he usually wore. I looked to see if anyone was still around the premises, and, upon finding the coast clear, I proceeded to jogging toward the shiny convertible.

"Sorry if I took long, Adachi-jiji." I bowed my head, apologizing for my tardiness.

He smiled warmly at me before he took my bag and opened the back, passenger door for me.

"How was your first day, Kazue-dono?" He inquired. I merely shrugged before I slid inside and settled on the beige leather seat, putting the seatbelt on me as I did. He shut the door for me before sliding into the driver's seat and keying the engine to life.

"It didn't turn out the way I'd hoped." I said, disappointment evident in my voice.

"Ah well, you know what they say. A plan is but a list of actions thought to likely to achieve an objective, determination is the true key to success." He said wisely. I wrinkled my nose at his advice.

"You came up with that yourself, didn't you?" I instigated.

"There's no getting by you." He told me. His boisterous laughter echoed in the car as he manoeuvred it out of the campus.

"Kazue-san is not working today?" I inquired, meeting his curved-up eyes in the rear-view mirror. The X6 is seldom the car our chauffer used to drive me.

"No. Your father is playing golf at the country club today." He answered. I nodded upon realizing my father would be home early today. Usually he drove his car to work, not wanting to bother Adachi-jiji into picking him up in the wee hours after midnight.

I then recognized the route we were taking as I stared out the window.

"Are we not going home yet?" I asked, although not needing to. I knew very well the answer to my question.

I met his apologetic hazel eyes on the rear view, his silent answer.

"Off to the lab then." I muttered, leaning my head back on the seat. He eyed me disapprovingly before I sighed and corrected myself.

"Okay, okay, _centre_." I corrected resignedly.

I took the iPod from its cradle and connected it to the white earphones I had already plugged on my ears. Adachi-jiji didn't share the same appreciation I felt for mainstream music. He preferred jazz and classical. /Ick./ My eyes browsed for a random song I felt like listening to. Finding one that I liked, I let my thumb double click on it on the screen. I closed my eyes as soon as the music started to blare.

**--At the **_**centre**_**--**

"Concentrate, Tomoyo." Katagawa-san instructed me. I furrowed my brows and glared at my uncharacteristically apathetic neurologist.

"Concentrate?" I questioned, smirking at her poor choice of words.

Why 'poor', you ask? Allow me to answer that question.

You see, the brain comprises of four main brainwaves. Beta, Alpha, Theta and Delta. Beta waves characterize the conscious waking state at the frequency of 14 Hertz(1) and up. It is the state associated with normal waking consciousness. Low amplitude(2) beta waves with multiple and varying frequencies are often associated with active, busy, or anxious thinking and active concentration.

Now, one would assume that to be able to activate my telepathic ability, I would have to be in a state of constant concentration. Well permit me to say you are gravely mistaken. Psychic experiences occur in the alpha state and theta state.

The alpha state operates at a lower cycle, 7-14 Hertz(1). This is the trance state when the body can no longer be felt, and sounds may become painful.

Interestingly, in the alpha state, one is open to suggestion as the conscious logical mind is subdued. To put it simply, the conscious barrier is down. When in the alpha state, we can program our own and/or the minds of others, but on one condition. One must constantly maintain both high alpha and theta waves. The average human mind has a natural tendency to fall into the theta state, once their alpha waves start to climax. But a telepath's mind works differently. Our minds naturally prevent this flux. Have you heard of the electromagnetic spectrum(3), or seen a model of it? Well a telepath's alpha and theta waves can be closely resembled by that, they naturally occur simultaneously. Kind of like, 'buy one take one'.

Now what is the theta stage? Theta waves are of lower frequency, usually 4-7 Hertz(1). This is where all of our emotional experiences are recorded, and is of the subconscious. The deep meditation or sleep stage. The theta level opens the door to descend even deeper into the psychic state. At this level, one is able to experience psychic communication.

Dare I tell you about the Delta stage? I feel rather lazy so let me give you a brief summary. Brain wave activity in the delta state ranges from 0-4 Hertz(1). This is total unconsciousness, coma. Enough said.

Now do you understand why 'concentrate' was a poor choice?

"You know what I mean." She said.

"So you mean _not_ to concentrate?" I suggested cleverly. She rolled her eyes, obviously irritated by my 'know-all' attitude. I sighed, it wasn't fun when she didn't play along.

"It's hard you know. But I am trying." I stated.

"Well it's not good enough." She condescended, not bothering to spare me a look. "See, your beta waves are too high." She emphasized, pointing to one of the numerous screens around us. I gritted my teeth upon sighting the evidence, the squiggly red line her finger indicated on the screen.

/Stupid brainwaves.../ I thought irately.

"Calm down, Tomoyo." She warned, now pointing to the green line that had begun to spike up.

"Argh!" I exasperated. Crossly, I took out the electrode patches on my head, the wires were starting to annoy me.

I heard Katagawa-san sigh. "Alright, we'll end it at that for today." She declared, swivelling her chair so that she faced me.

I felt guilty upon seeing her disappointed face. I was not used to letting her down. Usually our sessions were more productive.

"I'm sorry, Katagawa-san." I apologised sincerely.

"Tough first day?" She asked while packing the loose wires I'd taken off. I merely nodded my head.

"I was supposed to make a lot of friends today." I told her, finally revealing the reason behind my frustration.

"Ah..." She said. She very well knew the reason behind my obsession with stretching my social circle. She paused from organizing her equipment to put her hand on my shoulder. /Don't give up. There's always tomorrow./

I could only manage to nod upon seeing her reassuring smile. I have known her for some time now, and yet her smile still had that mysterious effect on me. I'd always used it as a source of encouragement. We fell into silence before I stumbled upon a thought. I smiled deviously.

"Hm? Speaking of tomorrow..." I began. I saw her look at me inquisitively. "How was last night with Toshiro-san?" I nudged her with my elbow playfully. Seeing her uncomfortable and flushed face made me burst into fits of hysteria.

My question did not seem to strike her as somthing humorous and so she eyed me sternly.

"Speaking of Ishida-san..." She began. I straightened myself upon hearing her formally address him. "I hope you didn't eat a lot. I'm sure the cleaners wouldn't enjoy scrubbing after your mess."

I felt cold sweat trickle down my face. Frantically I checked the wristwatch on my left hand, then slapped my face upon learning I was overdue. My physical fitness session had supposedly started five minutes ago. "Ack! What do you think? 10 minutes on turbo?" I asked, distraught.

"30 if you keep at it." She said while tapping on her watch. I scrambled to my feet and bade her a hasty goodbye.

"See you Katagawa-san! Wouldn't want to keep your boyfriend waiting!" My voice echoed loudly along the hollow corridor. I'm sure Katagawa-san would've slapped me had I not been running down these all-too familiar halls.

**--Kazue Residence--**

I stirred awake just as the car came to a smooth stop. I yawned sleepily before catching sight of the marble pillars out the window.

"We're here." I heard Adachi-jiji announce.

I signalled him to stay seated before I opened the passenger door for myself. Lethargically, I walked through the wide open double-doors, leading myself inside the sizeable estate. Other's called it a mansion, but it has never appeared to me as that. To me, it was simply-

"Home."

**--**

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XXXXXXXX

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**Author's Notes:**

So how did you find this one? Little Physics/Psychology/Science for you there. Big 'woops' in this chapter, though I've fixed it up now. I was not supposed to update, since I am buried in homework at the moment. But after finally having freed myself from writer's block, I simply had to type it up, for fear I may lose the idea if I don't.

Oh! I forgot to make a reference to 'Wallflower' (otherwise known as Perfect Girl Evolution), I took the 'radiant beings' and'creatures of the light' thing from there.

Also, please be informed that the title of the story will be changed to **"Deciphering an Enigma"** in a week's time. Unravelling Tezuka Kunimitsu still seemed a bit, I don't know, off... every time I read it. So yeah, please be informed.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It is lengthier than the first two.

Okay, scientific terms that may need a little explanation...

1. Amplitude- Basically just the height of the wave from the origin. When you see a graph of a wave, there's always a positive and negative side, and the horizontal line in between is 0. 0 is your origin, and the amplitude can be derived by measuring the distance of the highest or lowest point to 0 (unless the graph isn't symmetrical, but let's not get any more techincal). Note that the amplitude is an absolute value and is therefore never negative.

2. Hertz- It's just the frequency of the wave. Like, err... if I'm correct, it's the number of wave (cycles) per second.

3. Electromagnetic Spectrum- Otherwise referred to as the EMR spectrum. You don't have to worry about this, it was basically the only example I could think of that time. Just think, 2 copper wires (or string, or whatever material that isn't stiff) twisted together. That's EMR. One occurs simultaneously with the other.

I think I've covered much of what needed explaining. Errr... Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions. I'll get right on the reply as quickly as I can.

And now, like I do with my other story, the shout-outs...

**SS-lover06- **Thank you! I'm glad you didn't think the concept is too science-fictiony.**  
**

**Lia- **Thanks! Again, I'm really flattered. I'll try to keep the canon characters in check.**  
**

**dfisher25- **Thank you!**  
**

**Writer Crafter Prevails- **A very special thank you to your very constructive review! Taking in what you have suggested, I tried to avoid using excessively flowery words. A lot of people actually said the same thing. If you are still reading, I sincerely hope that you find this chapter better than the previous two.**  
**

**invisible-gurl- **No, she didn't faint. The combination of everyone's thoughts just suddenly penetrated her head since her telepathy was on when her connection with Tezuka got cut off. I'm glad you enjoyed the read! Thanks!**  
**

**ixamxeverywhere- **Hahaha! No we wouldn't. I'm really happy you liked it! I find it funny that Tomoyo reminded you of your dog. Hopefully not in this chapter though..?**  
**

**Alhena-Alya-Mira- **Thank you! I'm glad I made you laugh.**  
**

**darkcherrykiryu93- **Ahahaha! Yeah, I just couldn't resist the temptation of putting Sato-sensei there. I feel like there's a need to add a character like Sato-sensei in Seigaku-set stories. It's too fun to resist.**  
**

**fujilovesme- **Thanks. After the experimental chapters 1 and 2, I decided I'll be keeping to a Tomoyo First POV narrative from now. **  
**

**Schnuppi- **Thank you! I hope you're still reading despite my long update!**  
**

**akayuki-rin-** Ah! I could always rely on you for these things. It's cool to have a reader who actually studies jap. Thanks! I'll change that as soon as I can. And also, thank you for the constructive review. I've worked on your suggestions and I think I've successfully eluded the flowery language in this one. A 'super thank you' to you!

And for everyone who read and support this fic! Thank you thank you very much! Hope to see you in the next chapter, although I'm not sure it'll be as quick as my usual '2 days'. I'm still behind with homework. Ahehehe

**Please don't forget to review on your way out! Thank you! Come Again!**


	4. I do not suffer from mental retardation

**Author's Notes:**

Oh boy! I did not mean to use "retarded" as a derogatory term in this chapter! I apologise sincerely for those whom I have offended, that was rather insensitive of me. Please note that I have corrected this blunder.

I truly am sorry, it was an honest, yet ignorant mistake to make.

(Way to go, Snow... -sighs-)

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**Chapter 4**

I do not suffer from mental retardation.

* * *

I stifled yet another yawn as I anticipated the end of my science class. I tilted my head, which was initially perched on the back of my right hand, to glance at the wall clock above the whiteboard. 11:50, it read. Only 2 minutes had gone since I last checked for the time, and yet it feels like 2 dull, tedious hours had passed me by. How slowly time goes when you're bored. I blew the stray strand of hair that pestered my nose as I heaved another sigh of boredom.

I averted my gaze from the whiteboard to the much more appealing window, desperate to pay attention to anything but my unstimulating science teacher. How I wanted to bang my head repeatedly on the tempting, gleaming, windowpane.

It had only been a week since my tuition had begun, and yet I am already griping. Ironic that for years, my entire life almost, I'd been pleading my parents to send me to a 'normal school', and now that they'd finally given in to my harassing, I find myself already eager to raise that white flag up high after a mere week into the term. What was it that enticed me to the concept of going to a typical school in the first place?

Ah, yes. Now I remember. It was my obsession with socializing—something that I had been denied almost completely throughout the course of this pathetic existence I call my 'life'—was what fuelled me. Perhaps now, it is what drives me to surrender.

For a boat, it is a leak, for a car, it is a flat tire. For me, it is failure.

Failing to live up to your own expectations is truly devastating. I had hoped—expected—that a week's time would have been enough to expand my social horizons to the hundreds. And yet, apart from the 2 girls that were kind enough to invite me to have lunch, I find myself destitute of friends. Well, in a physical sense that is. I don't consider people who flood my locker with anonymous letters as 'friends'. If they were, then they would, should, understand how irksome it was for me to have to de-clog my locker as a morning routine. / If only my hands were insured... / I'd be earning millions from insurance money by now, what with the amount of paper cuts I've received the past week. If paper cuts were an asset, I'd be the richest person in the world. Or maybe...

I couldn't help but glance furtively at my ever-phlegmatic seatmate. I cannot perceive anyone else on this planet to have a more outstanding number of admirers than he. It appears no damage had been done. His hands seemed flawless as I watched them move across the page of his notebook, dancing gracefully as his left hand jotted down the notes on the board. I would ask him how he manages to keep the cuts to a minimum, if it weren't so strange a question.

Ah Tezuka-san, how he reminds me even more of my failure to make friends. Here I struggle to keep a convivial image in hopes that it would gain others' companionship, and yet all the attention naturally gravitates toward him, despite his obvious choice of social reclusion.

Sometimes I am tempted to imitate him, to keep my mouth shut and let everyone else do the talking. I can't help but feel like there is a glitch in the way I talk, as if it drives potential friends to turn away. It seems ridding myself of my formal and old-fashioned manner of speaking is harder than I'd imagined. You try growing up surrounded and taught by people _at least_ three times my current age. I can only hope that watching 50 more re-runs of High School Musical 1 and 2 would equip me with a more up-to-date vocabulary.

Subconsciously, my vision found its way back to the wall clock. 12:30 it read now. It is amazing how time flies when you're caught in a mental monologue. Now all I have to worry about is running out of topics to drabble about for 2 and a half more hours. That shouldn't be too hard, right? I sighed again as I shifted in my seat to face the board. History had just begun.

**--After School--**

I sighed in relief upon hearing the final school bell. It has ended, finally. Well, for everyone else it has. While the students are the torrent that surge to the nearest exit, I am the sole non-conformist that is trying to go against the overriding current to force myself further inside the campus.

At the moment, I couldn't care less about the glares 80 percent of the students are casting me as I collide with them. My abrupt apologies would have to do. I am almost late for my tutorial with Sato-sensei.

While others would think it is suicide, I think it is a necessary risk. Last week I have discovered that I lack the sufficient skills needed to survive Algebra. Swallowing my pride and mustering all my courage, I consulted with the terrorist maths teacher, and sought his guidance. I seemed to have taken him by surprise. I learned from his thoughts that a student was yet to ask him for after school help, no, help in general. I was not surprised, what with the way he presented himself to the students. Despite being inwardly proud about it, he willingly agreed and made the twice a week, after-school arrangement, which explains where I am now. I feel like the last remnant of the swarm of students that had, until 5 minutes ago, filled the now empty corridors of Seishun Gakuen Middle School.

Swallowing the hard lump on my throat, I balled up my fist and raised it to knock on the wooden door. I came into the room rather stiffly upon hearing Sato-sensei's shrill voice permit my entry. There he was, the sole occupant of the room, sitting behind a long, rectangular conference table, his thick brows furrowed and almost meeting at the centre, while his left hand stroked the lone hair on his heft mole as he laboured over a Sudoku puzzle on today's newspaper.

"Um... Sensei." I stammered meekly.

My balding maths teacher immediately put the newspaper down, pushed his glasses up by the bridge, before proceeding to eye me, rather unnervingly if I may add.

/ So she's decided to come. /

"Ah, Kazue was it?" He asked me.

"H-hai." I stuttered, intimidated despite his shrivelled form.

He crossed his narrow arms and eyed me impatiently before speaking. "Well? What are you waiting for? Get your book out so we can get started. I don't have all day." He extended one of his folded arms to the chair beside him, motioning me to sit.

Obediently, I did what I was told and took the seat beside him. He told me to show him the questions I had difficulty with, and from there my tutorial with the devil's advocate began.

**--After Sato-sensei's Tutorial--**

I suppressed the yawn that threatened to escape my throat. Finally our tutorial was over. I would be lying if I say that this after school session with Sato-sensei has enlightened me even to the slightest bit. My decision to seek his tutelage seemed not the wisest of decisions, for rather than focusing on the problems on my book, his ridiculously hefty mole succeeded in gaining most of my attention. I shouldn't say it was a complete waste of time either, having these after school sessions with Sato-sensei is quite a reasonable excuse to get out and cut down on my sessions at the lab.

I stretched my arms and the yawn that I tried hard to stifle finally found its way out my lips.

/ Did I bore her? / I heard a shrill voice ask. With no one else in the room, I could only assume this question came from the terrorist maths teacher.

Was that insecurity I heard? I was quite taken aback by the humaneness that actually existed beneath his sadistic persona. I had the urge to smirk, and yet decided against it. Instead I felt ashamed of myself for feeling that way. Who was I to judge this withered soul? During our tutorial session I learned that Sato-sensei isn't at all a terrible person. He was only misunderstood. To account for having not learned any maths, I discovered the bitterness that caused his fearsome exterior. I am not in the position to reveal any of his secrets, so please pardon me if I refrain from narrating his life story.

"Thank you for your time, Sato-sensei." I said, bowing my head in gratitude.

"Hmm... Well I'm glad you asked for my help." He said. Despite his condescending tone, I knew he was genuinely glad.

"Shall I see you on Thursday then?" I inquired.

"Yes, yes, Thursday after school." He confirmed. "Off you go then." He told me. I took this as his farewell and so bowed again before exiting.

**--Outside--**

Because it was late in the afternoon, I found the main exit had already been locked up. A man in a brown jumpsuit wheeling a large green rubbish bin walked by me and it was to him I inquired of the other 'escape routes' that remain open.

"Excuse me mister." I called. He stopped his trudging to turn a hundred and eighty degrees so that his wrinkled face could acknowledge me.

"Yes miss?"

"I was wondering, would you be so kind as to tell me where the closest exit is? I found Gate A already locked." I said.

"Ah. We usually lock the main gate after 4 p.m. since usually there aren't any students left in the premises after that time. If you're looking for the nearest exit, there're two. You can go out Gate G, near the soccer field. Or you can head out Gate D, the one closer to the tennis courts." He stated.

"Which one should I take if I were to head to the business district?" I asked again.

The elder janitor slightly raised a brow at me before answering. "Both. But if I were you, I'd take Gate D. Both the tennis and soccer teams have after school practice today. Those kids get quite spirited when they train so it'd be safer for you to take the tennis route. The courts are fenced, so you're less likely to end up a casualty, if you're catching my drift."

I nodded in comprehension and decided to take the route he suggested. Again I became immersed in my thoughts as I walked the trail to the tennis courts.

It seems that I would still have to request Katagawa-san to help me with my Algebra. Despite her willingness to help, I always felt awkward whenever I asked her to take some time off her all-too busy schedule to help me with my maths. That was why I resorted to asking Sato-sensei in the first place, because I knew well how full Katagawa-san's hands were. I did not want to be any more of a nuisance than I already am, and it vexes me to think that I would, still, have to be in order to pass my 3rd year in junior high school.

/ GAH! Why did mathematics have to be principle and logic based? / I am ashamed to admit that the only reason I excel in all my other classes is because of my telepathy, but it is the truth. Science, English, History, anything knowledge based and mastered by memorization were, to me, a walk in the park. Come logic and reasoning based exercises and instantly I am a fool. Like a parasite, I can feed and use information gained from books and people, but once I have to rely on my own intelligence, I would not survive.

"Watch out!"

I heard a boisterous voice call out. I was too busy musing over the ugliness of mathematics, that I did not notice the bright yellow ball that was whizzing toward my direction. I only became aware of its existence when it had hit me square on the face. Because I was unsuspecting and unprepared for the impact, I found myself lose my balance and fall backwards.

/ Safest route my tushy. / I grumbled inwardly. Sure, my bottom caught my fall, but my face caught the ball. The pain on it was ten times more excruciating.

"Oohhh..." I heard myself groan. I cringed at the various echoing voices that deafened my ears. My brain was too rattled to raise its conscious barrier and control my telepathy.

"Nya! Momo, you suck!" I heard a familiar voice squeak.

"Mou, Eiji-senpai, now is not the time to brag." A foreign voice said.

I could only listen as the distinct sound of rushed footsteps and panicking voices grew louder, everything in view was still spinning.

"Are you alright?" The alien voice asked.

"Ooohhh..." I groaned again.

"Mada mada dane, Momo-senpai. You just hit a mentally disabled." An unfamiliar, monotonous voice stated.

"I no am in mentally disabled way." I mumbled incoherently.

"Nya! Tsk tsk, Momo, you just handicapped a handicap!" The squeaky voice yelped.

Unknowingly, I raised my right arm up before shaking my head to hopefully clear my blurry vision.

"I think she has Tourette's." The monotone voice said again.

"Huh?" I heard two confused voices chorus.

After whisking my head a final time, my vision finally returned to normal. "I am not mentally incapacitated. And I do not suffer from Tourette's syndrome." I declared through gritted teeth. Upon tilting my head up, I found three surprised looking boys staring down at me with wide eyes.

"I actually understood what she said. Did any of you guys too?" The spiky-haired boy with purple eyes asked as he gawked at me. I recognized Kikumaru Eiji-san, one of Tezuka-san's friends, among the three. The shortest one with the white cap was not so familiar. The latter two nodded.

The spiky haired one's rough hands gripped my right one and pulled me to my feet. I dusted and straightened my skirt before speaking.

"Permit me to say otherwise, but I do not suffer from Tourette's or mental retardation. I appeared to have a speech impediment for my brain was too far in a state of pain and shock to allow me to muster anything coherent." I informed while still dusting my skirt. I looked up to find the three boys eyeing me blankly.

"Okay, did anyone get that?" The purple-eyed boy asked his companions. The two whisked their heads simultaneously.

"Okay miss, I will speak very slowly." He said in a louder, almost shouting, voice.

/ I am disabled, not deaf! / I thought, slightly infuriated. Ack! Now they've even convinced me to believe I was mentally challenged.

"I'll put your arm," The spiky-haired one paused to grip my right arm and point at it, as if telling me that what he was holding was indeed my arm. "And I'll put it over my shoulder," He paused again, this time to indicate his shoulder. "And I'll get you some help." If his speech and a turtle were in a race, on land of course, the turtle would've emerged victor.

"Don't worry, my captain will know what to do." The purple-eyed boy assured me, his rate of speech still insultingly slow.

/ What's a disabled person doing in this school? / I heard a monotone voice say.

/ Hoi! She looks familiar, nya! But where have I seen her? / The squeaky voice pondered.

I merely sighed in resignation as I allowed the spiky-haired boy support my weight and guide me to wherever his captain was.

"Momoshiro, what happened?"

Upon hearing the familiar, baritone voice speak, I instantly snapped my head up.

"Ah well, you see..." The boy that had supported my weight stammered. "Echizen and I-"

"Don't drag me into your mess, senpai." The short boy with the white cap cut in.

"Oi Echizen! You were in it too!" The spiky-haired boy, who I now know as Momoshiro, protested. The tall, purple-eyed boy and the short boy with the cap, Echizen, bickered for a moment, until Tezuka-san cleared his throat.

Despite my situation, I was still able to admire the aura of authority that emanated from my austere seatmate.

"Ahehehe... Anyway, as I was saying..." Momoshiro began. "Well, Echizen and I wanted to see who can hit Eiji-senpai first, but he was too agile."

"Nya! It's true. No one has better reflexes in this team than me!" Kikumaru-san squealed, obviously he was more than delighted to be the root of whole problem.

I saw Momoshiro roll his eyes before he continued to speak.

"Anyway, it's sorta obvious what happened next. It was my turn to hit Eiji-senpai, and as expected, he dodged, but Fuji-senpai came in and forgot to close the fence door. The ball went out and hit a mentally challenged person." Momoshiro concluded pointing at me to indicate that I was this 'mentally challenged' person.

/ Metally challenged? / I heard Tezuka-san's baritone voice say with an unusual hint of uncertainty.

"Kazue-san." I stiffly straightened, like soldier on the marching line, upon hearing my stoic seatmate call my name.

"Hello, Tezuka-san." I greeted with what could probably be my sweetest smile.

"Eh? You know her buchou?" Momoshiro asked. I noticed that both he and Echizen had curious looks on their faces, while Kikumaru-san had a look akin to a balloon being over pumped with air, like at any second he would explode.

"NYA! Now I remember! You were the weird girl Tezuka introduced last week!" Kikumaru-san exclaimed. And the balloon finally pops!

Upon his statement, I noticed that everyone in the perimeter had stopped whatever they were doing. I did not need to turn my head to know that all eyes were on me, the resounding 'WHO IS SHEs?' that pierced my ears were enough indication. I smiled sheepishly upon his recognition, bowed down, then, abruptly I snapped my head up.

/ Weird?! /

I noticed it was not only I who eyed Kikumaru oddly, despite his stoicism, I was able to discern the questioning look on his face.

"Please do not misunderstand this as being impudent, but allow me to correct you by saying I am not a mentally incapacitated person." I said with my best attempt at politeness.

"Hoi? See! She ran away after she met Fujiko too! Why would they let disabled people roam around the school without supervision, they could get hurt." The thick redhead mused, pushing my patience to its limit.

"Now, now Eiji, don't be rude." I heard a familiar velvet voice say. I turned to the left and found Tezuka's brown-haired friend standing but a few inches beside me. "Kazue-san isn't mentally challenged, she merely has a wide vocabulary." He said, the spine-chilling smile on his face was still present. Soon, everyone nodded in comprehension.

"Ahehehe... So she's not mentally disabled?" Momoshiro laughed sheepishly, obviously he was ashamed of the way he had treated me, especially since I was his senior. Fuji-san merely nodded to confirm this, then eyed me again with an eerie smile.

I shuddered at his proximity. In an attempt to inch away, I took small, baby steps to my right, so as to be discrete. I then came to a stop when I heard something much more disturbing than Fuji-san's presence.

"Iiiii data..." I heard a deep, husky voice cackle. I traced the sound and to my right, mere centimetres away, stood a towering boy with black rimmed glasses that did not give the slightest indication of the eyes behind them.

"EEK!" I screamed from the surprise.

"Maa, maa, minna-san. Maybe we should stop frightening our visitor by popping out of nowhere." A calming voice declared.

This time, my eyes trailed to a boy with hair shaved at the bottom. His presence instantly reminded me of my own mother.

"Hello, I'm Oishi Shuichiro, you're Kazue Tomoyo from class 3-1 right?" He held out his right hand as he introduced himself.

I was slightly taken back. How did this stranger know who I am? After collecting my thoughts, I bowed down, my notion seemed to take him by surprise as well.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Oishi-san. Hai, My name is Kazue Tomoyo, a third year from class 1." I confirmed. I stared oddly at his outstretched hand, torn between shaking or not shaking.

He withdrew his hand upon noticing the peculiar stare I gave it. I resisted the inkling to slap my head for my display of discourtesy.

Again I felt the weight of everyone's stares boring holes at the back of my head. I grimaced upon hearing the wild chorus of everyone's thoughts. Reflexively, my hand found its own way up to massage my throbbing temple.

"Are you feeling alright, Kazue-senpai?" Momoshiro inquired.

"Fshhhh... You hit her with a tennis ball you doofus." I only noticed the lanky boy with a bandana on his head now standing beside him. For me to be unaware of him, he must have a knack at disguising his presence.

"What did you call me, Mamushi?" Momoshiro barked.

/ Viper? What a strange name to give a boy. / I thought. I took a step back when the two boys started a debacle right in front of me.

/ Isn't anyone going to stop them? / I inwardly asked, noting the amused expressions on everyone's faces.

"Maybe some Inui-juice would relieve your headache." The bespectacled boy suggested, holding out a plastic cup containing green liquid.

Before I could ask what the ingredients of this 'juice' were, resounding "NOs!" answered for me. A tennis ball then flew out of nowhere and knocked the cup out of the bespectacled boy's hands, splashing its contents on the ground.

"Oops! Sorry Inui, my hand slipped." Kikumaru-san apologised. I could sense another ruckus brewing but luckily...

"Enough." I heard Tezuka-san's baritone voice declare. He made no effort in raising his voice for more authority, and yet everyone fell silent upon hearing it.

"Everyone, back to work. Regulars except Kawamura, 10 laps around the courts." He ordered.

Again, I marvelled at the effectiveness of his voice. Everyone did as they were told without complaint. Well, not physically audible ones. Again I grimaced at the chorus of inner groaning that reverberated in my head.

"Are you still not feeling well, Kazue-san." It was a question, but Tezuka-san had a way of making his queries sound more like statements.

"Saa... Maybe you should see that she is well, Tezuka." I heard Fuji-san's smooth voice suggest. I could detect the slight tone of mischief in his voice. I looked up to find him standing beside Tezuka-san.

"Fuji." The stoic one said monotonously.

"Hai?" Said the smiling one.

"Laps."

"Hai." Fuji-san complied, and despite being punished, an eternal smile was still on his face.

When everyone had gone, I regained the courage to speak to Tezuka-san again.

"Anou, Tezuka-san. You don't have to worry about me. I'm fine now." I said.

"Aa..."

"I apologize for having disrupted your training."

"Aa..."

I stared at him oddly, unsure if I was still talking to a person or a broken record.

"Well, I shall take my leave now. I hope you have a... peaceful training session from now." I bade.

"Aa..." He said again. I was not certain if he was talking or merely making sounds, but I took this as his farewell. With a final bow, I made my exit to finally leave Tezuka-san to practice in peace.

**--Gate D--**

As I was walking to the exit, I felt the mobile phone in my skirt pocket vibrate. Fishing it out, I unlocked the keypad and read the writing on the screen.

_1 message received._

_Adachi Fukuda_

/ A message from Adachi-jiji? / I wondered before reading its entirety.

_Kazue-dono,_

_Your father has requested for a pick up at the country club. Your new pick up time on Mondays is at quarter past four is it not?_

_I decided to fetch your father first, uncertain if I registered your new pick up time correctly. I will bring him home and then come back to fetch you. I will be back in an hour or so._

_Would you mind waiting or shall I send Kazuma to fetch you?_

_-End of Message-_

I shuddered upon the thought of our butler's driving. I cannot comprehend how he had even managed to obtain a driver's licence. That in mind, I quickly punched on the keys to reply.

_I apologize for making you wait, Adachi-jiji. You were not mistaken. 4:15 was my indicated pick up time. An unfortunate incident had delayed me._

_Please do not bother Kazuma-san, I'm sure he has a lot on his hands already._

_ I do not mind waiting. See you in an hour. I will wait by the D Gate. The main exit had already been locked._

I finished the message with another apology for my tardiness before deciding to send it. Just as it had successfully been sent, I spotted a nearby bench and decided to settle on it.

Sitting down, I racked my brain for something I could do while I waited. I then settled with attempting to go over the maths homework I did with Sato-sensei. I wanted to see if my comprehension of the subject has somehow, even by the most miniscule of chances, improved.

I took the thick textbook out of my bag, along with my maths notebook and pencil case. Flipping to the page we were working on, I began reading the problems, then I read the solution on my notebook, in hopes that I would grasp the concept of solving it.

**--30 minutes later--**

I groaned as I stared blankly at the first question on my book. Half an hour had gone and still I have not made sense of the convoluted string of numbers. Currently, I was trying to pull all the hair out of my head, frustrated by my lack of progress. I was on the verge of succeeding when a familiar voice prevented me from doing so.

"Kazue-san."

I looked up to find my stoic seatmate staring at me with a brow slightly quirked. I immediately let go of my now dishevelled hair and an awkward chuckle escaped my throat.

"Ahehe... Split ends, they're quite annoying." I managed to stutter. I saw Tezuka-san's brow arch further. "You're quite fortunate, Tezuka-san, your hair isn't long enough to suffer from it. Or perhaps it is..?" I said unsurely, noticing his hair was actually longer than the average male's.

To prevent myself from further making a laughingstock out of myself, I decided to change the topic."Has Tennis practice concluded, Tezuka-san?"

"Hai." He replied in his usual monotone.

"Again I apologize for disturbing your practice. I had no intention of being the source of all the commotion." I said, bowing my head in contrite as I did.

"Aa..." He said.

/ They cause a ruckus without anyone's help. / I heard his inner voice say. There was a hint of discontentment in his thoughts. I found comfort upon those words. It was natural for his tennis team to riot.

/ She's still doing the problems Sato-sensei gave us? / I heard him ask himself. I only noticed now that he was eyeing my open maths textbook. I felt like answering but I knew how odd that would make me look.

"Have you finished all the problems Tezuka-san?" I asked.

"Hai." He replied curtly.

"Ah... You're lucky. I had already asked Sato-sensei's guidance and yet I still find myself lost. Maybe I am really a hopeless maths student." I said, admitting to my incompetence.

/ Sato-sensei? / I heard the slight, yet still unusual, tone of incredulity in his thoughts.

"Do you need any assistance?" He asked me. The question took me by surprise.

"I do not wish to take your time this way, Tezuka-san. I have already caused you enough trouble for today." I immediately declined, bowing again so as not to look impolite.

"Show me." He instructed. Again I stiffly straightened my posture at his command. The authority in his voice coerced me into submission. I removed my bag from the bench and placed it on the ground, before hesitantly moving left to make room on the long bench for him. He took a seat on my right and I showed him the problem I was struggling with.

"I cannot seem to grasp the concept of solving quadratic equations." I stated, pointing to the first question on the top of the page.

He merely gave the question a glance, then inspected the solution on my notebook.

"You solved it correctly." He said.

"Well, yes, because Sato-sensei helped me. But I still cannot comprehend how we arrived at this solution." I said. "I know of the quadratic formula, but I do not understand how to apply it in problems such as these. How do you apply it when there are no 'B's or 'A's or 'C's on the equation?" I asked.

I saw him nod, as if in realization.

"Are you aware of the general form of a quadratic equation?" He asked me. I could only stare at him blankly.

He flipped to a blank page on my notebook before turning to me.

"May I please borrow your pencil?" He asked. I willingly gave him the mechanical pencil on my hand. He clicked it a few times before writing something on the page.

_ax2 + bx + c_. He wrote.

"That is the general equation of a quadratic." He said. I merely nodded to show I was following.

"A, B and C are called coefficients, when you are given a quadratic equation, A, B, and C are replaced by numbers. Take this equation." He pointed to the first question on my book, then wrote it on my notebook, just below the general equation he had written.

_2x2 + 2x - 60._

"If you compare it to the general form of a quadratic, the two beside the 'x2' would be your A, since in the general equation, the A is beside the x2. The 2 beside the 'x' would then be your 'B' and negative 60 would be your 'C'." He stated, still in monotone. Immediately I was able to connect the dots.

/ Finally I see the relationship! /

"Oh!" I exclaimed. I think I understand now. So now it is only a matter of substituting these values in the quadratic formula, yes?" I asked.

I saw him nod and I resisted the urge to jump up in elation.

"Would you mind if I give it a try Tezuka-san?" I requested, now confident to attempt solving the question. "I would like to see if I could solve it by myself." I said.

He willingly granted my request and handed my pencil and notebook in my possession. Our hands slightly brushed as I took my items from his possession.

/ Without a calculator. / I heard him think.

I scribbled for a few seconds before showing him the answer I arrived to. "Is this correct?" I asked.

He examined my working and gave me a nod of approval. / She's a quick learner. / I heard him commend me mentally.

"It's correct." He said.

I couldn't prevent myself from smiling ear-to-ear. Inside I was relieved upon realizing I was not hopeless after all. I was also ecstatic from receiving praise from my stoic and usually placid seatmate, despite it only being a mental one.

"Arigatou, Tezuka-san. You would be a great educator, should you ever decide to become one." I told him. He merely gave me a nod. Who would've imagined that the enlightenment I sought from Sato-sensei would be delivered by Tezuka-san.

My inner celebration was interrupted by the distinct sound of a car horn. I turned to the gate and found the familiar black Crossover stationed outside. Immediately I felt uneasiness settle in the pits of my stomach. It's not that I am trying to hide part of who I am from others. It is just that I would like them to see me as an equal, as someone normal, to know me and make me a friend, before they begin to judge me.

I wanted to deny being the owner of the vehicle, embarrassed by its ostentation, yet instantly this thought was thwarted by the chauffer that emerged from it.

"Kazue-dono. I apologize for making you wait." Adachi-jiji bowed.

"I should be the one to apologize, Adachi-jiji. I was the one late for pick up." I said. I saw him straighten from his bowing position to curiously eye my silent companion.

Warily, I looked up to eye Tezuka-san. I guess I was a fool to think of him as the type to gawk and become intimidated by a person's wealth. I was slightly taken aback by the eternal stoicism on his face. Despite being taken by surprise, I also felt the relief wash away my uneasiness.

"Tezuka-san, allow me to introduce my chauffer, Adachi Fukuda-jiji. He's been with our family for as long as I could remember. Adachi-jiji, this is Tezuka-san, my classmate." I initiated.

Adachi-jiji stretched his right hand out and I saw Tezuka-san grip it for a firm handshake.

"Adachi Fukuda, how do you do?" said the older of the two.

"Aa. Tezuka Kunimitsu, it's a pleasure to meet you, Adachi-san." Tezuka-san said.

"Tezuka-san has been kind enough to teach me mathematics while I was waiting." I said, beaming proudly.

Adachi-jiji arched a brow. "Oh? And might I ask how that turned out?" He asked.

"Quite well actually. I feel confident in attempting the rest of the problems once we get home." I stated. Now both Adachi-jiji's brows were raised.

"That's good. I never thought I would see the day when Kazue-dono would be so much as eager to do her math homework. You must be an excellent teacher then, Tezuka-kun."

"Not at all, Kazue-san is a fast learner." Tezuka-san said humbly, inflating my ego.

"Indeed she is." Adachi-jiji agreed, making my cheeks turn crimson. "Well, shall we get going, Kazue-dono? I'm sure your parents would love to hear about your new found fondness of mathematics."

"Ah. Hai." I said. I packed my belongings inside my backpack, making sure I did not leave anything behind, before allowing Adachi-jiji to carry my bag as I followed him to the car. With a tap on my shoulder, I spun and found Tezuka-san with an outstretched hand.

"Your pencil." He said.

"Ah! Arigatou, Tezuka-san." I bowed before taking the pencil in his possession. An idea suddenly crossed my mind which made me straighten abruptly. Immediately I jogged to Adachi-jiji, who was already opening the passenger door.

"Adachi-jiji. Do you think we could give Tezuka-san a lift?" I asked, my eyes pleading.

"But of course." Adachi-jiji complied.

"Arigatou!" I said before jogging back to where Tezuka-san was.

"Tezuka-san!" I called to him before he could walk away further. I smiled when he stopped to turn and face me, quickly I paced toward him.

"I apologise for my lack of manners. Would you like a ride home?" I asked him.

"Thank you for the offer but I do not wish to bother you." He politely declined.

"Don't be silly, Tezuka-san. Allow me to assure you that it will not be of any inconvenience." I said. "It's the least I could do to compensate for your time." I insisted. I did not notice Adachi-jiji had left the car to stand behind me until he spoke.

"I'm sure Kazue-dono would appreciate having company other than mine." Adachi-jiji said. I was certain that my chauffer's statement was more a request, and Tezuka-san detected that too.

I knew Tezuka-san was not the type to turn down an elder's request, and so it was no surprise when he finally agreed.

Adachi-jiji held my arm as he supported me up and inside the SUV. He waited for Tezuka-san to get in before closing the passenger door and sliding inside the driver's seat.

"Where to?" He asked. Tezuka-san gave him the directions and Adachi-jiji nodded in comprehension.

"Not a problem. Your house is actually on the way." Adachi-jiji stated before keying the ignition. As soon as the engine roared to life, pop-music blared loudly from the car speakers, slightly startling both me and my stoic companion.

"Hohoho... Kazue-dono enjoys listening to her music loudly." Adachi-jiji said, lowering the volume upon noting our slight recoil.

"Aa..." Tezuka-san said. I felt my cheeks burn as I slumped lower in my seat.

"So... What type of music do you listen to, Tezuka-kun?" Adachi-jiji asked. And so began his game of 50 questions.

**--15 minutes later--**

I felt like I'd been shrunk to the size of a mouse a few minutes after we'd left school. Whenever Tezuka-san answered one of Adachi-jiji's questions, the latter would always reveal an embarrassing fact about me, in reference to his answer. Take his 'music question' for example. After Tezuka-san told him that he prefers classical music, Adachi-jiji commended him for his choice before saying, "Ah... Kazue-dono thinks that classical is the music for the old and dull at heart." Our old driver seemed to find entertainment in my discomfort and continued with this 'regimen' until we reached Tezuka-san's house.

I felt relieved when the car came to a stop outside a moderate-sized house. Despite having never stepped inside, I could already feel its warm and cosy atmosphere.

Adachi-jiji stepped out of the car to fetch Tezuka's items from the boot. My stoic companion unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out of the car. I mimicked his notion and followed him out.

He slung the large tennis bag on his shoulders with ease before turning to face me.

"Thank you for the ride, Kazue-san." He said, bowing in gratitude.

In turn, I bowed as well. "Not a problem, it's the least I could do after disrupting your training and taking your time." I said, bowing both in gratitude and apology.

"Aa..." He said again. He had already turned to enter his house when a question suddenly struck me.

"Ah, Tezuka-san!" I called out, stopping him in his tracks. He turned and eyed me expectantly. I swallowed the large lump on my throat.

"Anou, my manner of speaking. Is it really odd?" I asked him, revealing my insecurity.

For a few moments, he remained silent. He was always like that and yet I felt uncomfortable about his wordlessness at that moment. I felt myself relax upon seeing his mouth open.

"No." He answered finally.

/ How hard was it to think that? / I asked myself, wondering why he took his time to answer. I decided to shrug the thought away and gave him an appreciative smile. At least there is one person that doesn't think I am mentally incapacitated.

"Well, I'll be off then. I hope you have a good night." I bade him. I waited and saw him nod before I stepped into the car and sped off.

In the car I pondered on the last thought I heard him think. I was unsure but I thought it was something akin to "strange". I then caught a glimpse of Adachi-jiji's probing curved eyes from the rear view.

"What is it, jiji?" I asked him, curious at what was humouring him.

"Nothing. I was just reminded of my youthful bliss." He said with a hint of mischief. I eyed him suspiciously, trying to discern what he was getting at, yet his features indicated nothing.

I tried reading his thoughts for clues, yet as always, he was a step ahead of me. By the time I penetrated his mind, he was already reciting the Kanji alphabet.

I leaned back on my seat, groaning in resignation and frustration, while Adachi-jiji erupted in a boisterous laughter.

**--**

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XXXXXXXX

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**Author's Notes:**

Not an eventful chapter, but it shows her first encounter with the regulars.

For my reply to reviews, I have but one.

**Resonance Break Glass,**

In hopes that you are bored enough to read this story once again, I write to you my reply to your last review. First I would like to apologize for frustrating you with Chapter 3. I did not intend to torture your mind with the scientific jargon. It was wrong for me to fill it with long-winded trivia, for not everyone holds a penchant for it like I. My sole purpose in adding those 'fiction-mixed' facts was to provide a more detailed explanation to Tomoyo's telepathic ability. I did not wish to make anyone feel inferior of their intellect. I'm sorry if I was not able to make it an enjoyable read for you.

Second, I would like to address your comment about the 'drawbacks' of Tomoyo's special ability. I do not wish to give much away, so I would just like to say that of course, like everything in this world, there would always be something to negate a natural imbalance, such as telepathy. I feel like it is way too early in the story to reveal anything yet.

Lastly; the pairing issue. I understand if you feel that Tezuka is an unfit partner for Tomoyo, or perhaps the other way around. I admit that there are similarities in their personalities that, "clash"—I apologize for the lack of a better word—but permit me to disagree with you thinking their relationship would be "boring" and "predictable". I would like to ask why you think so. Perhaps I misconstrue, and I do not wish to be rude, but Tomoyo is a telepath who reads people's minds. She is not a fortune teller. Also, in Tomoyo's defence, I think she is not purposely trying to invade others' privacy for the mere fun of it. Please understand that after having lived a secluded and sheltered life, she is bound to be curious and somehow abuse her powers to understand the things that are foreign to her. Everyone is entitled to have their own bout of recklessness.

That said, May you grant my request that, shall you continue reading this story, you read with more flexibility and tolerance, and that you give Tomoyo a chance. I admit, I am being selfish, but it is all I ask. My randomness often precedes me, and I hope you consider this before labelling this story predictable.

I appreciate the time you have spent reading this story. In advance, thank you again, if, by some chance, you are reading this.

- Snow


	5. Hot Legs

**Author's Notes:**

I'm sorry _if _you find I got sloppy toward the end of this chapter. It hasn't been edited yet. I shall, when I am no longer teed off.

Please note that I _may_ not be updating for a while after this chapter. I will be burying my head in books, while camping out in the badminton courts (if it is possible to do both), for the following month and a half. (as said in BotT)

I do promise to update if I find time in between school and training.

Thank you!

--

**

* * *

Chapter 5**

Hot Legs.

* * *

I fidgeted with the strap on my bag as cold sweat profusely rolled down my face. I was yet again, shifting my position on the seat, when Adachi-jiji turned to round the corner a block away from the school. He chuckled softly upon seeing me fall off the passenger seat. I cleared my throat, like it would also clear the embarrassment I felt, and this only made Adachi-jiji chuckle harder.

"Is the air conditioning on, jiji?" I asked. If the cooling system was indeed functioning, then why are the sweat glands in my palms being overly productive? I saw Adachi-jiji nod from the rear-view mirror.

"You seem a bit, jittery, Kazue-dono. Is anything the matter?" My chauffer asked. Amusement, more than concern, was evident in his voice.

'Is anything the matter?' Is anything the matter?! What a preposterous question! I sighed to poise myself. I knew Adachi-jiji's query was purely out of concern. Yet to me it sounded mocking.

To calm myself, I used the rear-view as a vanity mirror to my tousled hair. Only then did I notice the unusual purplish-blue shade of my face. Was I anxious to the point of looking severely asphyxiated? Taking a deep breath, I decided I should inform my concerned driver of what was troubling me before he take a detour to the nearest hospital, or worse, the lab.

"I have physical education today." I informed while tying my hair up in a high ponytail. I saw nose crinkle in annoyance when my grey driver finally erupted in a boisterous laughter. "Oh." Was the only comprehensible word I heard from him.

"It really is not funny, jiji! I have not even made much friends yet, and I am already about to embarrass myself in front of my class." I complained.

I heard him clear his throat so that he could compose himself. As soon as the car stopped, so did his laughter. "My apologies, young miss. I'm sure you will be fine." I saw his straight face on the rear-view mirror as he spoke.

My squinted eyes locked with his as I looked at him contemplatively. Then I let out an incredulous gasp. "You were just saying that to reassure me!" I instigated. I could hear him laughing mentally, still.

He tugged on the tip of his hat and smiled. "Truly, I apologise, Kazue-dono. Do try to be more careful today." He told me. We both knew well how I would be anything but fine after today, and so telling me to be more precautious was probably the most befitting words to impart.

I shrugged my shoulders. It was a request I was not sure I could fulfill. "I will try." I told him.

"Shall I bring a first-aid kit when I fetch you?" There was a teasing tone in his voice that I did not quite comprehend. Was it some sort of inside joke I did not get?

Shrugging it off, I said "I don't think that will be necessary, jiji. I'm sure the school's infirmary is well equipped." He chuckled at my response and I quirked a brow at him in question.

"You're naivety is amusing, Kazue-dono, truly it is." He said in between fits.

I checked the time on my watch and, much to my curiosity's dismay, I had no choice but to leave without being answered. I was going to be late for gym class, not that I mind. I motioned him to stay seated as I got the door open for myself.

"See you at three o'clock, Adachi-jiji." I bade before taking my leave. I heard him bid me with another "Take Care" before I shut the door and walked the block to school.

I felt the nerves in my extremities grow number as I approached the girls' locker room. I stared long at the white door before taking a deep breath and coming in. I saw my assigned locker and deposited my items there, taking only my P.E. uniform and running shoes. I was inwardly appalled by the excited shrieks that echoed in my female classmates' minds. Who in their right mind would be delighted about having to sit, or rather, stand, run, jump and possibly do all other locomotive exercises throughout an entire double period? One may lose a few thousand calories, but was it worth putting sweat glands into overdrive? / Yuck. / I grimaced. Sweat. Wet and sticky and for boys often stinky.

I double tied the shoelaces on my running shoes before following my classmates into the gymnasium. My burly P.E. teacher's voice reverberated throughout the spacious and barely occupied hall as he gathered our class.

"Alright, Boys and Girls, form two separate lines for warm up exercises." Nagano-sensei instructed. I found myself following suit as everyone formed two straight lines.

We began with light stretching, nothing strenuous, thankfully. I was slowly starting to relax as we progressed from stretching our legs to our arms. If we continue like this, then perhaps I may be able to reach home unscathed. Perhaps physical education was not like I had imagined. Everything else in Seishun Gakuen seemed to defy my conception of a typical junior high school. 'Perhaps'. It seems my P.E. teacher had other ideas.

"Okay. Gather up!" The brawny man called. We formed a circle as we sat on the floor while Nagano-sensei stood in the middle.

"Okay. Since it's only our first gym class for the term, I've decided to have a physical fitness test today."

/ Physical Fitness?! / I inwardly panicked. Oh boy!

"You know the drill, everyone pair up!" He ordered. Everyone instantly got on their feet to partner up. I grimaced upon the echo of shrieks that would've rattled even the deepest pits of hell.

/ KYAH! I'll pair up with Tezuka-san! /

/ I should hurry before anyone else gets him! /

/ Should I ask him to be my partner? /

These were all I could make out of the various thoughts my female classmates thought. I was beginning to wonder if they were ever capable of thinking something that does not relate to my strapping but stoic classmate.

/ Oh my gosh! He's looking this way! / I heard.

No, apparently they were not.

I started my search for someone to partner with. All the girls seemed eager to pair with Tezuka-san, so I decided to look over to where the boys were. I sighed in disappointment when I found that all but one had paired up. All but one, Kanzaki-san, I thought his name was. I was about to approach the, well, average looking boy, when I caught a glimpse of his thoughts. I knew it was his, for among all the vocal thoughts, his was the only 'picture' one. In his head I saw a picture of him salivating over an unknown female partner, as she stretched to reach her toes. His line of vision was, without a doubt, on the slightly exposed underwear she was sporting.

When he saw that I was about to ask him to partner with me, he smiled dubiously. The unknown-girl's face in the picture in his mind was instantly replaced by mine. I stopped mid-way, and turned to walk the other direction, not wanting to fall victim. My face was flushed as I settled to sit on a corner of the gym, far from all the commotion. I sighed in relief, sometimes my special ability came handy.

Nagano-sensei finished setting the numerous equipment needed for our physical fitness test. I instantly learned that my brawny sensei was quick to temper when I saw his face turn red in fury as he approached us. His incensed bass voice was louder than everyone else's and so his thoughts easily stood above the rest.

/ They're not done pairing up yet?! / I heard him seethe mentally. I was surprised to find no blood, for my ears should be bleeding by now, what with the insane volume of his outraged voice.

He looked around to inspect those who have finished pairing up, and I was confused to find him even more maddened with what he found.

"Gather up!" He boomed. The whole gymnasium fell silent.

"I am disappointed. You all call yourselves seniors and yet this is how you behave yourselves!" He began, his voice was raised in a reprimanding fashion. Everyone stiffened, except Tezuka-san who was already, naturally, that way. Nagano-sensei rubbed his temples, an action I presumed was to alleviate his anger.

"Alright. I'm gonna count to ten. When I finish I want everyone to be done pairing up." He announced. "And," he added, before anyone could start. "I want everyone to partner with someone from the opposite sex."

I gulped upon his last instruction. That would increase the probability of me pairing up with Kanzaki-san. / Oh no! / I panicked.

"One!" I heard my brawny P.E. teacher begin, causing me to panic and everyone to scramble on their feet.

Despite his threatening countdown, I found the girls still staring at Tezuka-san expectantly. I shook my head, reprimanding myself. There was no time to observe people. I must focus on the task at hand. I must focus on finding a partner.

I scanned the room for a prospective partner. By accident, my gaze landed on Kanzaki-san. He seemed to have noticed this, for he flashed me the same dubious smile he did so earlier. I quickly turned my head to a different direction and found my eyes staring at a good looking boy with a finely built physique. Toru-san, if I remembered correctly. From what I heard, he was the basketball team's ace player.

/ Definitely athletic / I thought. I contemplated on asking him to be my partner, then I realized, if I paired with someone athletically talented, then I would surely embarrass my athletically challenged self. I decided against asking him and proceeded to scanning the room for someone that would provide less... contrast.

"5" I heard the count pass the half-way mark. My palms began to sweat as I scanned the room for a suitable partner. My classmates have all begun partnering, and I was starting to run out of options.

Then, my eyes fell on him. Messy black hair, soda-bottle glasses and scrawny built. Koutarou-kun stood by the wall as he too looked around for someone to pair with. No, perhaps it is more appropriate to say that he waited for someone to pick him. And I was just the person to do so. I straightened my track pants, a habit I have developed with my skirt when I was nervous, as I tried to think of how I might ask him. I was more than half-way when a tap on my shoulder stopped me in mid-step. I crinkled my nose at the sudden contact. / Is it not possible to call my name before making physical contact? / I complained as I spun around. I was surprised to find the familiar stoic face Tezuka-san standing before me.

/ I think she was going to pair with Koutarou. / I heard his baritone voice say. / Ask her. She's the only reasonable one to partner with. / I heard him again. I felt the urge to chuckle, but that would make me look odd. Was Tezuka-san having an argument with himself? I never would have imagined. I found the idea quite entertaining. Despite wanting to hear more of his mental debate, I decided to tune out of his thoughts to ask him what he wanted.

As soon as I did, various screams of outrage resonated in my head. I winced upon the shrill voices. I instantly blocked the strident sounds.

"8."

"Kazue-san," I heard him say monotonously.

I eyed him expectantly. I knew he was about to ask but I did not want to be rude by turning him down before he got to doing so. It seems Tezuka-san did not intend to get straight to the point, for he only remained silent. If he did not speak soon, I would lose my chance to ask Koutarou-kun. I tilted my head to Koutarou-kun's direction and was disappointed to find he had already partnered with a slightly chubby girl I knew as Ami-chan. I sighed in defeat before turning to face Tezuka-san again. I was surprised to find him eyeing me oddly. Now I gravely regretted having cut my connection with him. Was there something on my face?

"Would you mind being my partner for this exercise?" He asked, finally.

Not having a choice, I reluctantly agreed. Perfect, I had avoided asking Toru-san for I knew he was athletically capable, but now I find myself partnered with the school's renowned tennis captain. / You surely know how to make it less embarrassing for yourself, Tomoyo. / I told myself sardonically.

Nagano-sensei finished his countdown, and to mine and everyone else's relief, everyone was finished pairing up.

"See, that wasn't so hard now, was it?" He asked rhetorically. No one answered.

"Alright, seeing there are 15 exercises and only 12 pairs, three stations will be left free." Nagano-sensei announced and everyone nodded. I followed suit despite having no idea what my physical education teacher meant.

"I will be timing. 6 minutes per stage. You may feel free to choose your starting station. We will all rotate clockwise after the 6 minutes, 2 minutes and 30 seconds per person. That gives everyone enough time to swap. Don't forget to record your results." He reminded us. Again everyone nodded. I decided to just follow Tezuka-san's lead, seeing that was the only way I would learn of what was going on without humiliating myself.

"We'll start when everyone gets to a station." Nagano-sensei announced. Everyone then stood up with their respective partners to different areas in the gym where papers were stuck. I assumed these papers indicated a specific 'station'.

Tezuka-san and I watched as our classmates selected their initial stations. When everyone had gotten to their preferred station, my partner and I settled for a vacant one. We went to the station with two exercise mats spread on the ground. On the paper, I read the words "Sit-ups" written in bold, and gulped. I very well understood what that meant.

"Anou, Tezuka-san? Would you mind briefing me of what we are supposed to do?" I asked him.

He nodded curtly before answering. "We are supposed to perform the task written on the paper, in our case 'sit-ups'. We must attempt to do as many as we can within the allotted two and a half minutes per person. Then we will swap and record the results we obtain per station." He finished. I nodded in comprehension.

"Would you mind going first?" I asked. He quirked his brow, only slightly, before giving me a nod.

"Alright people. Get ready." Coach Nagano announced. Tezuka-san sat on the floor, his legs bent so that it formed an inverted 'V' with the floor. He had his hands at the back of his head while his chest nearly touched his knee.

"Begin." Nagano-sensei announced. Everyone started moving. I watched as some began jumping and running. I gulped upon realizing I would be engaging in the same physical activity soon enough.

"Kazue-san, you are supposed to be counting." I heard Tezuka-san's monotonous voice say.

I gave him a stiff "Hai" before doing what I was told. I watched in awe as he effortlessly performed our assigned task. Not a sign of strain was present in Tezuka-san's eternally stoic face. He gave me the impression sit-ups were as natural as breathing, but of course I knew better.

I counted as Tezuka-san nearly completed the task at the rate of nearly one sit-up per second.

"Kazue-san, you are supposed to hold my knees down." He informed me. I almost lost count upon his revelation. I gulped and stared pensively at his bent knees.

"It doesn't matter." He told me. I found myself feeling both useless but as ease, as Tezuka-san proceeded with the task without my help.

"Time, swap!" I heard my P.E. teacher declare.

"150." I told him, still marveling at how he had managed to complete exactly one sit-up per second. He gave me a brief nod before proceeding to jot down his result on paper.

"Ready," Nagano-sensei declared. I mimicked Tezuka-san's earlier action and sat with my knees bent, chest nearly touching them. I placed my hands behind my head and breathed in deeply.

"Go!"

I exhaled as I lowered my upper body, then tried to inhale, although with great difficulty, as I raised it up to my knee again. I struggled to keep my feet on the floor upon trying to complete 1 sit up.

"1." I heard Tezuka-san say.

I felt my cheeks burn in embarrassment as I proceeded to do my second sit-up. This time, I felt my breath get caught in my chest as I tried to inhale while raising my trunk up to my knees.

"2." I felt like rolling my eyes in irritation. I was sure he meant nothing, but I still felt like Tezuka-san was taunting me as he counted every successful sit up.

By the time I lowered my torso for my third sit up, I found it far too hard to raise it up without my feet leaving the ground.

"Meh." I grunted as I tried again and again to raise my trunk without my feet leaving the ground, but to no avail. I was about to throw the towel in when I felt weights hold my feet steady on the ground. I viewed my lower extremities and found Tezuka-san's shoes planted on mine.

/ Try again. / I heard Tezuka-san instruct, but found his mouth closed as I stared up at him.

"Arigatou." I said, before continuing with the exercise.

It became much easier now. I did not do it as fluently as Tezuka-san had, but I managed to finish the two and a half minutes nonetheless.

"124." He told me and I jotted it down on my paper, wincing as my abdomen burned in pain.

"Swap!" Nagano-sensei ordered. Everyone moved to their right to get to the next station.

The next station had a box set on the floor and leaning against a wall. The side that faced up had ruled lines on it and there was a marker set at 0. I read the writing on the paper. It said 'sit and reach'. I stared at it blankly before Tezuka san sat on the floor, legs fully extended, knees unbending and feet against the box. His arms were also fully extended, left hand over right and his finger tips just touched the marker. He then leaned his upper body forward, legs still straight, as he pushed the marker as much as he could.

/ Ah! 'Sit' and 'reach'! / I thought, realizing how the name of the exercise was simple enough. I took down his result before he did it again. '27', '30' '32' and '33' I noted. He stood up and I sat in his place before following suit.

"32, 34, 36, 36" I heard him say respectively as I did the exercise four times.

That particular exercise was not too difficult, and so we finished before our allotted six minutes. I was particularly happy of having this extra time, for it gave me an opportunity to catch my breath from the sit-ups and prepare myself for the next station.

Curious, I looked to my right to see what the next exercise was. I froze in horror upon seeing Toru-san running, no sprinting, back and forth with a good 50 metre distance between each end, throughout the gym. Every time he ran to the end nearest to us, he would lunge forward with his right leg, then pick up a block from the ground, push with the same right leg and deliver the block to the other end, doing exactly the same procedure, except at the opposite end he left the block before dashing back. I managed to pull my panic-stricken gaze off his sprinting figure to read what that station was called. 'Shuttle Run' it read.

"Time! Swap!" Nagano-sensei declared again. I swallowed the hard lump on my throat. My heart had already started racing before I had even commenced with the exercise. My attention was called when I heard Tezuka-san clear his throat.

"Kazue-san." He called, motioning me to follow him to the next station. I willed my cumbersome legs to the next station, and reluctantly, they obeyed.

"Ready." Nagano-sensei warned.

"It is best to initially run at 70 percent then gradually increase so that you are running at a hundred percent within the last minute." Tezuka-san advised.

I was not certain if I had understood everything he had said. I was far too overwhelmed by the challenge that lay ahead to have fully been paying attention to my fitness partner. Before I could ask him to repeat himself, Nagano-sensei had already given the go signal, and Tezuka-san went dashing to the other end. I watched him closely, in hope that I could grasp the 'technique' to mastering this drill. It seems that when picking up the blocks, one uses their dominant leg to lunge, and also uses their dominant hand to reach. At least that was how Tezuka-san did it. I was inwardly envious of Tezuka-san's unfair exercise was almost natural to tennis players! I was not even sure if I had counted right, but from what I recall, Tezuka-san had run the hundred metres back and forth, completing 11 rounds before time.

"Arigatou." He told me in between puffs. Despite his ragged breathing, there was not a trace of exhaustion in his placid face.

"Swap!" Nagano-sensei's bass voice boomed throughout the gym, making my heart skip a beat.

Sweat gushed out of the glands in my palms as I bent my knees slightly to get into starting position. I clutched tightly on the block I was already holding as I awaited my sensei's 'Go' signal.

Everything seemed to have slowed down when I saw his mouth open and form an 'O'. I remained still, until Tezuka-san called my name, nudging me to indicate that sensei had given the signal.

I staggered on my feet upon starting. I noticed, after I had already gone past the half-way mark, that everything seemed quiet. I found the silence unusual, and yet at the same time comforting. I felt, in this silence, that I was running alone, with no one around to witness my fall, if ever I did. Eventually I became more comfortable and I noticed, as I lay the block and sprinted back, that my strides felt more natural every time. It was just like on the treadmill with Toshiro-san. No one was watching. I felt more confident in my running as I went to pick up another block. And then I heard it, the voice that broke the silence.

/ A few more seconds. / I heard the baritone voice say. I looked up and was finally made aware of the reason for silence. I saw his familiar impassive face and again. I realized I had tuned into Tezuka-san's mind. And here I thought I was finally alone, with no one to laugh if I were to make a fool of myself.

Perhaps cutting the connection off was not the best idea, for the flurry of voices that penetrated my head made me lose my concentration, just as I was running back to where my partner stood to pick up another block. I looked around, and found a percentage of my classmates' attentions set on me. I quickly looked back to where I was going. I was nearly done.

I prepared to lunge forward to pick up the final block, when I felt my right foot lock behind my left foot, just as I set off to raise it. I instantly found myself falling forward as I lost footing, my extended right arm reflexively reaching for whatever that was ahead of me. I remember feeling the hard impact against the ground. I remember the friction burn as my stomach skidded a few centimetres against the hardwood floor. And I remember the collective gasps that chorused among my classmates, whether it was mental or physical, I was not sure anymore.

I did not want to open my eyes, afraid to face the mocking faces of my would-be sneering classmates. But my lips were forced to snap open upon hearing the shrill, ear-splitting screams of the entire female population.

The first thing I saw was my hand clutching a black, polyester fabric. I wondered what they were, until finally I looked up. I was momentarily blinded by bright light. When my vision readjusted, I saw the shiniest, most toned, most perfect pair of legs I had seen my entire 14 years of living. They even looked better than mine. As I looked further up, to my horror, I saw completely exposed navy underwear, uncovered because I had recklessly pulled down with me the black track pants that once concealed it. Reluctantly I looked even higher up, and found Tezuka-san's uncharacteristically red face staring down at me with, what struck me as, part horror and part embarrassment.

"KYAAAAAAAAA!" I heard the shattering, shrieking chorus of Tezuka-san's loyal fan girls.

"Ahem." I heard Tezuka-san clear his throat. I looked up at him, his face was still flushed as he stared down at me, now part in horror, part in embarrassment, and part expectant.

I traced his gaze and found it on my clenched hand, which still held on tightly to his track pants. Upon realization, I instantly I withdrew my hand, turning crimson in humiliation. He quickly pulled his pants up, shakily tying the drawstring on it three, maybe four times.

I looked around and found all my female classmates had fainted with smiles on their faces, despite what I thought was blood pooling out of their noses. I then shifted my gaze to my male classmates, whom all had jaws wide ajar. Even Nagano-sensei's jaw reached the floor. I saw Kanzaki-kun sniff while wiping the red liquid that had trickled down his nose. I gulped before staring meekly at Tezuka-san.

/ I knew he was a boxer-brief guy! / I heard someone exclaim amidst the silence. I was not sure who it was, but I was certain he was male.

I somehow felt relieved upon seeing his characteristic stoic face, despite the pink tinge that still lingered on his cheeks.

"Kazue, are you alright?" I heard his monotonous voice ask as he held his hand out to help me up.

I was not sure, but it was only either from guilt or mortification that my eyes watered. I pushed myself up with my own hands, before finally storming out of the gym.

**--Recess--**

What was worse than having pulled down on Tezuka Kunimitsu's track pants, was having pulled them down early in the day. Gossip spread like wildfire around the Seishun Gakuen campus. By recess everyone had recognised me as 'the girl that had exposed Tezuka-san'. Wonderful, now I was popular, only not in the way I had imagined. I did not have to turn around to know I was the subject of talk. I immediately raced out of the cafeteria in search of a silent place to be left alone. I had almost given up on this idea, for everywhere else in school was highly populated. I was mindlessly walking out the school yard, when I came in front of an old-looking building. The sign above the door read 'Library'. Instantly my eyes brightened. Hoping that this time my 'high school movies' did not fail me, I assumed that this is just the right place to go when one is looking to be left in solitude. Biting down on my lower lip, I entered, and immediately I gasped in delight. Apart from the librarian by the desk, not another soul was in sight. I almost pranced inside the small building in joy. The aged librarian eyed me scrutinisingly. I flashed a smile to indicate that I did not mean any trouble, and then proceeded to go inside to where the fiction section was.

I did not expect to find the school library so 'well-stocked'. It contained even the most recent of released books. I browsed through the fiction shelves arranged by author, and when I got to 'M', I finally found a book that caught my eye. I took the book off the shelf and read the title with a smile. 'Twilight by Stephenie Meyer' it read. I remember reading this book out of curiosity, the usual reason I would often act upon. Initially I was intrigued by the hype that surrounded this book, and so I bought and read it. Instantly I fell in love with it. Perhaps one of the reasons as to why I did was because the protagonist's vampire love interest shared the same ability I possessed, although I wished mine worked the same way his did.

Taking the book, I searched for a good spot to read this book a third time. I walked further inside and found a circle of black couches nestled within the towering shelves. It was almost perfect, secluded and positioned beside large windows that allowed the sunlight to flow through. The only problem was the person that sat on one of leather couches.

Deciding to ignore the person, I positioned myself comfortably on the couch closest to the window. Perhaps this person heard my seat puff, and was made aware of my presence, for this person lowered his book upon hearing the sound of company, revealing his identity and making my cheeks burn instantly upon recognition. It seemed that fate wanted to play a cruel game with me today, for again I found myself red, embarrassed, and staring at the stoic face of the famous Tezuka Kunimitsu.

Of all the people that I could have possibly run into, it _had_ to be him. I stared meekly at him. He stared at me intently. He eyed me for a while, as if examining me closely, before turning back to his book. I tried to proceed with reading mine, only to find myself reading the opening sentence 5 times. Sighing, I put the book to a close and stared at the stoic boy who sat across me, he was currently immersed in a book I had not heard of before. 'Shadow of the Wind' I thought it read. I cleared my throat and Tezuka-san made no reaction that indicated having heard anything. Sighing, I cleared my throat again before speaking.

"Tezuka-san?" I called. I noticed my voice was slightly higher than usual.

He lowered his book to eye me expectantly. Immediately I felt unnerved by the weight of his gaze.

"Anou..." I stammered. He continued to stare at me silently, without a sign of impatience crossing his face.

"I'd just like to apologise, for earlier."

His cheeks turned the slightest shade of pink before I heard him clear his throat to respond.

"Aa... Are you alright now?" He asked me. His question took me by surprise. More than I, he was the one who was publicly humiliated. And now he asks if _I _am feeling well?

"Tezuka-san, please do not think I am being insolent, but I do not understand you." I told him frankly. "You were the one who was publicly humiliated for reasons I am to blame, and yet you ask me if I am feeling well? Correct me if I am mistaken but should I not be the one asking you that question?"

My straightforwardness seemed to have taken him by surprise, for I saw a thoughtful look flit from his face before he answered.

"You seemed to have fallen hard. I was concerned that you may have seriously injured yourself." He told me.

Again I was caught speechless. After finally recomposing myself, I spoke. "Your compassion amazes me, Tezuka-san." I told him without a smile but with sincere admiration. He said nothing at this and so I continued. "Yes, other than the friction burn on my stomach, I am quite well. Thank you." I told him. He nodded.

"Are you?" I inquired, pertaining to something completely different to physical pain.

"Yes."

I nodded robotically. Inside I wondered if he bore a grudge against me. Biting my lower lip, I finally asked.

"Do you... hate me for what I have done to you?" I asked him while fidgeting with my fingers.

"No. You did not do anything to harm me, so there is not a reason to feel that way toward you." He told me. I knew my eyes twinkled in happiness upon hearing his statement.

"Thank you, Tezuka-san. Despite not understanding your tolerance towards me, I admire your inexhaustible patience." I said, bowing my head down in gratitude. We fell silent for a while, before I suddenly felt the familiar feeling of curiosity seep within me once again.

"Do you often spend recess here?" I asked.

He shook his head before replying. "Not usually." He answered. The way he always kept his responses brief and simple triggered me into firing more questions.

"So why the sudden change?" I asked again.

He merely shrugged his shoulders to reply. / Hiding. / I heard him think. Apart from the librarian, we were the sole occupants of the barely utilised library. It was not difficult to hear his thoughts.

I chuckled upon hearing his mental answer. For a moment, I had almost believed that Seishun Gakuen's ever stoic Tezuka Kunimitsu was the type who was never embarrassed or humiliated. So this 'Man of Steel' is simply just a man after all.

After my outburst, I saw him eyeing me oddly. I quickly tried to sidetrack him with another question.

"Hmm? Could it be that you are trying to shy away from the public eye?" I asked with a teasing tone.

He arched a brow at me before replying. "Not from the public, from my teammates." He said impassively. / Fuji will never leave me in peace. / I heard him add mentally.

I laughed again, slightly louder this time. "You're teammates are quite a lively bunch." I told him in between fits.

"Shhhh!" The librarian warned me. I hurried to stifle my laughter so as not to anger her into kicking me out. After poising myself, I saw Tezuka-san staring at me oddly. I put a hand under my chin before eyeing him intently. I noticed his discomfort when I saw him push the bridge of his glasses up.

"I'm sorry, I did not mean to stare." I apologised. He gave me a nod to excuse my impudence. "But truly, you puzzle me, Tezuka-san."

He continued to stare at me blankly, although in his head I heard him ask / How so? /

"I do not understand how one can be so straightforward yet so mysterious at the same time." I admitted.

"You are not so different." He told me in his usual monotone, catching me by surprise.

"I was not aware I seem that way. I only try to speak my mind." I mused openly. I eyed him intently again, leaning slightly forward as I did so. This time, he returned an equally weighted stare.

"You intrigue me, Tezuka-san." I declared openly before leaning backwards on my seat. He continued to hold my gaze, knowing I had more to say.

"If you would allow me to ask, would it be possible for you to accept me as a friend?" I asked as politely as I could. Perhaps it was too much, but I just could not walk away without asking.

It did not take him long to reply. He quickly shrugged his shoulders before giving me a nod of acquiescence.

I felt myself hatch a smile before finally flipping the cover of my chosen book to attempt reading it again.

I arrived at the second page of my book, when my brain conjured yet another question. I peered discretely from my book to steal a glance at my new friend. Tezuka-san seemed quite absorbed in the piece he was reading. I contemplated on whether or not I should disturb him from his reading to satisfy my curiosity. I attempted to distract myself by continuing to peruse the book I have already read twice. Finding myself repeatedly reading the first line at the top of the page, I decided to come out with the question that had constantly been poking at my curiosity since its formulation.

I cleared my throat before calling on my impassive companion yet again. "Tezuka-san?"

Upon hearing his name, I saw him lower his book. His rimless spectacles slipped slightly off his nose when he peered at me expectantly. I swallowed the hard lump on my throat.

"Do you, by any chance, shave your legs?"

**--**

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XXXXXXXX

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**Author's Notes:**

Yup... There you go, folks! Finally Tezuka and Tomoyo become friends, by the influence of a strange event... I hope that after reading this chapter, no one would think "Oh! Is that why it was called 'Unravelling Tezuka Kunimitsu'? (winks)" LOL! The idea just struck me while I was sleeping during English class (as usual).

Somehow I feel like I got sloppy toward the end. I should go over that again, when I do have time. Please not that this chapter has not been edited, and so for now, pardon the typographical errors that plague it. (Apologies in advance!)

Shout-outs!

**Resonance Breaks Glass**- Ah well, I cannot force you or anyone to like my story, or my writing style. I apologize for being incapable of giving this story an unpredictable twist that appeals to your liking. I will try to improve on that part. But as to a 'woman that drags Tezuka to the movies', (you may find this stubborn) I refuse to portray Tomoyo as such a character. I respect your opinion of the type of character that you think would suit Tezuka, and if I were reading a different story, I'm sure I would be amused by it too. But I'm afraid I don't just plan on writing a TezukaOC fic where Tezuka would be smitten by a spontaneous girl that attracts him by her random, 'fan girl-ishness' (I apologize for lack of a better word, I think my brain is still recovering from training). In writing this fic, I hope to present to the readers an unportrayed side of Tezuka Kunimitsu. My interpretation of what _may_ lie behind that stoic mask. A sense of humour? A sadistic side (with the laps and everything, you never know)? Something completely different from the typical stoic, serious, responsible Tezuka portrayal. But in a way doing that is risky, because I may end up making him seem a bit OOC. Which is why I try to write in a moderately slow pace, so as to give the readers time to make them go, 'Oh yeah he could be like that...' But yeah, if you'd really rather the random, spontaneous OC (although I'm not saying I'm excluding spontaneity in Tomoyo's character) then this may not be the right story. (Perhaps if you are bored, you can read my first fic, I've been told quite a lot that my OC in that story is really random). That said I apologize again for having failed to provide you an enjoyable read (and for possibly rambling on in this reply).

**fujilovesme**- Thanks, I will try to find time to update as soon as possible!

**hemiyami- **What can I say? I am quite flattered that my story appealed to you, and I thank you for respecting my writing style. I truly am glad that you enjoyed reading what I have produced so far, and I hope that I have not or do not disappoint you in this and the future chapters! Thank you again for the encouraging review. I hope that you would continue to support and follow this fic till the end (if it doesn't disappoint).

**Writer Crafter Prevails**- Where would I be without you? Probably facing a lawsuit for blatant use of derogatory terms. I truly did not intend to use 'it' like that, and I thank you for informing me quickly about it. I appreciate you giving this story a shot, despite the many 'blunders' I've committed in writing this and I thank you for the constructive criticism. It truly helps me work to become a better writer.

**akayuki-rin**- Thank you! I get that sometimes as well. I usually speak audaciously, but when I'm in a bad mood (like hungry, or when I lose a tournament) I just start speaking with all the big words in my mental 'Webster's'. And people just stare at you life you've suddenly sprouted a mushroom on your forehead. Anyway (rambling, sorry) I'm glad I was able to make sense of Chapter 3. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Finally, we have reached the end! Until my next update!

**Don't forget to review on your way out! Thank You! Come Again!**


	6. My Friend Tezuka san

**Author's Notes: **

Wahhh! I hope people are still reading this... after the really delayed update! Really sorry! More of my apologies at the end of the chapter! Hope you enjoy chapter 6!

* * *

**Chapter 6**

My Friend Tezuka-san

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**--**

My school experience has been a lot better since having struck a friendship with Tezuka-san. By now, people have forgotten about the incident involving gym class and I could continue living my life without having to hide my face behind a paper bag. Well technically, I only wore the bag while in the car and 5 minutes after getting out. I bumped into my new friend whilst walking to school that day and when he told me it looked ridiculous—he didn't directly say it but his thoughts were dallying along the lines of it—I immediately took it off.

Ah Tezuka-san, how many times has he saved me without knowing it. I no longer have to spend my afternoons with Sato-sensei learning math, since I can easily pick the answers off his mind. I wouldn not exactly call it cheating, since I only do it once at the start of a new topic! And never during tests! Seeing how his mind works makes me understand the problems as well. 'Tutoring' would be a more befitting term, although he is unaware of it.

I can't exactly tell him, now can I?

Usually I spend my free time with Tezuka-san. I cannot say it's been a total bore, especially during days when we would eat with his friends. They're quite a friendly bunch and would get into the most random discussions, and yet sometimes I feel I am out of place, especially when Tezuka-san and I arrive at their usual table together. They suddenly, although only for a moment, keep quiet and hatch ominous grins. I've tried picking Eiji-san's—as he's told me to address him—mind for answers, but all I ever got was 'Hoi? They've come together again!', which I think is quite obvious be it from a toddler's perspective.

Although he's yet to say or think it, I feel, sometimes, that Tezuka-san is embarrassed being seen with me. He doesn't seem to mind when it is the two of us in the library or on the roof top, but when with his friends, the prominent vein would always pop on his forehead accompanying the thought: 'Maybe I should've told her to just meet me here'. Although usually 'I should remember to make them run laps'—though I doubt he'll ever forget this—would follow the previous thought.

I let out a silent sigh. Tezuka-san's mind would never cease to puzzle me. Oh! And speaking of puzzles! I'd almost forgotten to ask Tezuka-san an utterly important question.

"Tezuka-san?"

He leaned away from the metal railings and pulled his gaze away from the blue sky as he turned to face me. I was greeted by the same impassive face that I was growing accustomed to each day.

"Anou, I have a question."

/ As expected. / He thought.

Hearing Tezuka-san's thoughts during these situations are quite a treat. You see, ever since he and I became friends, I have never ceased to ask him questions, questions that I'd assume 'normal people' would know. Yet every time I ask, it would seem as though my questions would always throw him off guard, which, should you know, is something he tries to constantly keep on. And every day he would tell himself that he wouldn't be caught next time, yet every time he would find himself taken aback. I don't see how my questions make him uncomfortable though, since usually it's about things people normally go about.

"I was just wondering… How does one make many friends?"

And there it was again! Although it was only for a split second, his apathetic face had turned blank for a moment. I stifled my laughter, although I knew Tezuka-san could discern my amusement. I think anyone would have a ball being the one to catch the famous Tezuka Kunimitsu off-guard.

"I'm afraid I'm not following." He replied monotonously.

"I'm sorry. It's just, you seem to be good at it, having a lot of friends around despite being so introverted. It's quite boggling." I said, trying to make sense of my previous question.

/ Introverted? / He questioned. He sounded slightly offended so immediately I tried to make amends.

"Not that keeping to yourself is a bad thing. I understand that it is just how you are. But how do you make so many friends without trying? Is it really a charisma thing?" I asked. Hearing myself, I found the answer to my own question, again. And knowing the answer didn't quite make me happy.

Of course! It was his charisma! What had lured me to want to be friends with Tezuka-san is also what causes others to gravitate around him. Mystery is his charm!

"So does that mean I have to be mysterious as well? I don't think my face can keep one expression for a whole day though…" I mused aloud.

/ Mysterious? One expression? /

I really can't comprehend why Tezuka-san would be surprised upon hearing these things. It's as though he wouldn't be aware of himself had I not told him.

Clearing his throat, he called my attention. He pushed the bridge of his glasses before turning around to lean on the railings once more. His gaze fell upon the ground this time and in his mind I saw that he was observing the people now. Patiently I waited for him to speak.

"If you want to make friends," He began, pausing to let out a cough. Somehow I felt that the topic of our conversation was making him uncomfortable.

"I suggest joining a club." He advised.

It was like having an epiphany. Suddenly everything seemed a lot clearer. What did Tezuka-san and his friends all share? A common interest! Their passion for tennis! So maybe if I find people whose interests lie in things I am passionate about, then maybe I can finally start expanding my circle of friends!

"I see! That makes perfect sense!" I exclaimed, jumping up to my feet in excitement. "Thank you so much Tezuka-san!" It felt as though everything seemed brighter now. Tezuka-san really had a way of shining a light on things.

I rushed up to him and gave him a quick embrace. "If you don't mind. I think I'll start looking for a club before lunch ends." I told him. I noticed his cheeks were an uncharacteristic shade of red as I excused myself.

"A-Aa." He replied, seeming a bit rattled. I could hear the pounding of his heart in his head. I should have guessed Tezuka-san to be the type who is also uncomfortable with physical contact. But really, to the point of being nervous?

"Good luck." He told me just before I could take my leave.

"Thank you! I'll see you later Tezuka-san."

**--**

I went down to the second floor to find the Extra-Curriculars board. It wasn't a task too difficult since anyone would've spotted the colorful sign from miles away. Scanning each colorful flier, I tried to search for a club I may be interested in.

"Aikido, Culinary, Music, Arts and Crafts…" I was beginning to feel all hope fade away when I saw that nothing posted was matching any of my interests. Is there no one in this school with similar interests? There was a green flier talking about an 'AV Club'. I considered it for a moment since I was a big movie fan myself. In retrospect, I saw an image of Tezuka-san and his friends. They weren't all just interested in tennis, they were also passionate about it.

"How passionate can one be about watching movies?" I murmured, deciding that perhaps the 'AV Club' wasn't the best place to start. So if I was looking for something I could be passionate about, does it mean I had to join a sports club? I cringed at the thought. I was never into sports. I didn't mind watching them but I would probably never participate in an event myself. I despise being sweaty.

Flabbergasted, I let out a heavy sigh. My dream of making friends was slipping further and further away. And that's when I saw it. On bright yellow paper was a notice for Swimming Club try-outs. Carefully I thought about it.

I do like swimming. It's about the only sport I know. So I'm not passionate about it, and I'm certainly not the best, but I am interested, especially since it doesn't involve sweating. I took a few more moments to weigh out the pros and cons.

/ In any case, there is a trial. I'll just find another club to join if this doesn't work out. / I thought as I jotted my name, year and section down on one of the blank lines on the sheet. The bell for the end of lunch rang and I took note of the date and time of the trials on my organizer just before going to class. Silently I prayed that everything goes well next Friday.

**--Library--  
**

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Hearing the alarm on my watch ring, I immediately put the thick textbook to a close and packed my things in haste. I let out a yawn after stretching my arms out. I left the library that afternoon again with a sense of fulfillment. Staying after school to do homework was perhaps the best decision I've made so far. There were no distractions to prevent me from finishing my work and it also meant that my lab sessions for the evening would be shorter.

By now, the only exit open in the school was the south one. I passed by the tennis courts and saw that the Regulars—who consisted of Tezuka-san and his friends, and were apparently the best players in the school—have just finished with their training and were all about to head home as well.

/ Hm. Tezuka-san is really something, keeping his grades up despite the training he does every day. / I thought, admiring him from a distance. Just then, the topic of my thoughts looked in my direction, catching me by surprise. I smiled sheepishly and approached them, thinking it was only polite.

"Ah! It's Tomoyo-chan!" Eiji-kun exclaimed. I was beginning to think he had a penchant for stating the obvious.

"Did the tennis team just finish training?" I asked, disregarding the obvious, unlike Eiji-kun. I was answered by simultaneous nods.

"You seem to have been kept pretty late as well, Kazue-san." said a smooth voice I knew so well. I looked to my right and felt all my hairs stand on end upon finding Fuji-san standing next to me.

"H-hai. I decided to stay behind and do my homework." I said stiffly, trying to inch away as subtly as I could. Ever since our first encounter, I've since tried to keep a distance from Fuji-kun, not wanting to be caught in one of his devious ploys. Considering the amount of people around him, and those that want to be around him, I can comfortably say I'm the only one who is aware of his mind's inner workings.

He playfully wagged his finger upon hearing my response. "Tsk, tsk. It seems like Tezuka's bad habits are rubbing off on you too, Kazue-san." He said, causing the others to snicker.

"Bad habits?" I asked, slightly confused. "I would have thought it a good influence?"

Everyone chuckled. It was Oishi-san who enlightened me this time. "I think what Fuji means is that it's bad when you do it too much—Not that I'm saying all Tezuka does is study."

I nodded in comprehension. I looked over to find a subtle tick on Tezuka-san's forehead. He was thinking about sending the others to run laps despite having ended the training but decided against it.

/ I need to buy new grip. / I thought I heard him think as he eyed the racquet on his hand before putting it inside his bag.

"Yeah. Don't study too much Tomoyo-chan! Or you might lose your social life like Tezuka!" Kikumaru chimed, causing the tick on Tezuka-san's forehead to get bigger.

"Eh? I thought Tezuka-san has plenty of friends? I actually asked him for advice on how to make friends earlier." I said, slightly surprised by the revelation.

"EH?!" The tennis club chorused, as though it was the most incredulous thing in the world.

I merely gave them a nod.

"And what did buchou say?" Momoshiro-asked eagerly.

"He told me that joining a club would help me make a lot of friends." I said. Everyone soon erupted into laughter.

"That's just like Tezuka." Kawamura-san said.

"Did he not give me good advice?" I looked around, confused, and saw that Tezuka-san seemed a bit paler than usual.

"Not really, in fact I think it's great advice." Oishi-san said. "Although I wouldn't exactly ask Tezuka for advice regarding those kinds of things."

"Who should I ask then?"

"The best person would probably be Fuji." He indicated, pointing to the brown-haired boy with the constantly smiling face. I almost cringed at the suggestion.

"Err, maybe next time." I said as politely as I could. Again, looking over, I saw that Tezuka-san seemed a little paler than usual. "Anou, are you alright Tezuka-san? You seem a bit pale."

I could hear the regulars snickering once more.

"I'm fine." He answered almost immediately. He was even paler now compared to a few minutes ago.

"Are you sure? I could give you a lift home?" I asked, worried that he might faint whilst on the train or walking home.

"That won't be necessary." He said monotonously.

Everyone snickered, Inui-san doing it while jotting down on the green notebook he seemed to be inseparable with. Fuji-san then stopped in his tracks, crossed his arms and tapped his chin, seemingly deep in thought. "Hm… Didn't Tezuka say he wasn't feeling well a while ago?" He asked, pointing his gaze at Oishi-san. There was an unusual gleam in his slit-like eyes.

"A-Ah. Did he say so, Eiji?" Oishi-kun asked. All eyes turned to the Eiji-kun.

"Nya?!" He yelped. He looked to Kawamura's direction. "Did he, Taka-san?" He asked.

I wondered why Kawamura-san seemed helpless. He looked over to Inui-san, who was still busy writing and asked. "I'm not sure. Did you hear him, Inui?"

Inui-san pushed the bridge of his glasses and refrained from scribbling for a moment. "I believe so. You heard him too, right Kaidoh?"

"Fshh… Ask the idiot." The timid boy said, pointing to Momoshiro.

"E-Eh?! I don't know. Maybe? Echizen had a hit with him earlier!" He seemed a little shaky as he passed the question, yet again, to the young freshman.

"Hm…" Echizen-kun tugged the rim of his cap and looked at everyone. They seemed to be eyeing him with pressing expectancy. I saw him quickly glance at Tezuka-san, who now seemed slightly red than pale. I wonder if my eyesight was starting to fail. And then Echizen-kun looked at Fuji-san before speaking again. "Yeah. He said he had a migraine." The freshman concluded.

By now my neck was aching from having to look in all directions.

"So there you go, Kazue-san. All eight witnesses. Tezuka's just being brave. You know how he is." He told me.

I heard Tezuka-san clear his throat and despite having already finished training, I saw everyone start sweating. He pushed the bridge of his glasses up and for some reason seemed annoyed. Looking at his teammates he said. "All of you, 50 laps around the courts."

/ Gotcha. / I thought I heard it come from Fuji-san. "Seeing as we have to do our laps right now, do you mind taking Tezuka home, Kazue-san? We wouldn't want anything bad happen to our captain." He said. I'd like to think Fuji-san's interests were sincere, yet an unshakeable part of me thought otherwise.

"Well, the offer still stands." I said.

Fuji-san was quick to reply. "Great. The entire tennis team is grateful." He turned around and ushered his teammates the other way. "Well, we better get started on the laps then." And the regulars began their fifty laps around the tennis grounds.

Once again, Tezuka-san cleared his throat to call my attention. "Sorry for the inconvenience."

"Not at all! You're house is along the way so it's not a bother. In fact, if you don't mind, you could catch a lift home every day. I would appreciate the company." I told him.

I seemed to have taken him aback once again. "Aa." Was all he said and yet it was good enough. I gave him a grateful smile before leading the way to the car.

"Jiji always parks a few blocks away so I hope you don't mind walking." I told him.

Although Tezuka-san kept silent, I heard him mentally wonder why I always got off and got picked up a few blocks away from school.

Not wanting to keep from him, I thought of how to answer without making my ability to obvious. "It's just that I hardly see students being dropped off and picked up from school. I didn't want to be different so I asked Adachi-jiji if he would let me walk the few blocks." I told him.

He nodded in comprehension and that was the end of that.

Adachi-jiji was already waiting outside the Crossover. He greeted my companion with a smile before taking our items and putting them in the boot. Tezuka-san got the door for me before coming in himself. Jiji slid into the driver's seat after securing the door at the back.

"So how was school today?" He asked as he put the key in the ignition.

"Good." I told him cheerily.

"And for Tezuka-san?" Jiji asked.

"Good." He replied monotonously.

I stifled a chuckle while Jiji let out a boisterous laugh. Tezuka-san appeared confused by our actions.

"It doesn't sound like you had a good day." Jiji joked. Tezuka-san still looked clueless.

"I'm sorry. We don't mean to laugh at you, Tezuka-san. But you should really hear yourself." I told him.

He gave me a nod before fastening his seatbelt, Jiji and I did the same. The music blared through the stereos as soon as the engine came to life and Jiji quickly turned it down.

/ Coldplay? / I thought I heard Tezuka-san say in his mind.

Adachi-jiji was about to switch radio stations when I told him to increase the volume a little. He gave me a an inquiring look on the rear-view mirror.

"Not your usual preference in music, Kazue-dono?" He asked.

"I just thought Tezuka-san might like what's playing." I said and he nodded understandingly. I looked at Tezuka-san and nearly slapped my forehead for my blunder. He was staring at me quite oddly.

/ How did she know I liked Coldplay? /

"A-anou… You mentioned you liked alternative music?" I said quickly, almost stumbling on my words.

/ Oh yeah. / He thought. "Aa." He said before leaning back on the seat once again. I almost let out a sigh of relief.

/ Careful, Kazue-dono. / Jiji warned me whilst chuckling in his head. I narrowed my eyes at him on the rearview and he laughed louder, although it being mentally. / Look. / He said, indicating Tezuka-san, who still eyed me oddly on the rear view mirror. I could feel the heat from my cheeks as they were stained pink.

Indeed. Now that I've made friends, I would have to be more cautious, especially around Tezuka-san.

As we drove through the light traffic, I struggled to prevent myself from chuckling as I listened to Tezuka-san sing along the Coldplay song in his head. I tapped my finger to the rhythm whilst wondering if there would ever be a time that I would be able to hear Tezuka-san sing out loud, the voice in his head didn't sound bad either. Adachi-jiji was eyeing me curiously from the rearview, my shaking obviously making him curious.

"It's quite catchy, ne?" I said, almost failing to hold back a giggle. "Do you mind telling me the name of the song?" I asked.

"Aa. Viva La Vida." He answered.

"By Coldplay, yes?"

"Aa."

I gave him a nod and took note of it in my head. I should remember to download it (a/n: *cough* legally of course) when I get home later.

"Kazue-san, did you have any luck finding a club?"

I was a little taken aback when Tezuka-san asked me a question, as it was opposed to the usual case. I would usually only hear the questions he had for me in his head, and I've always wondered why he never asked them directly. I assumed that he was the type who was timid about asking and so I felt unusually happy in knowing he was slowly starting to speak his mind when with me.

"Hai. I registered for the Swimming Club try-outs next Friday. I'm also considering a few other options if it does not go well." I told him.

"Ho ho ho. You should have more confidence in yourself. I'm sure you'll do just fine, Kazue-dono." Adach-jiji said, overhearing our conversation.

"There's no point in trying if you don't believe in your own strength." Tezuka-san added.

I could see Adachi-jiji's eyes curve up as he agreed. "Well said, Tezuka-kun."

I could only nod and accept the advice Tezuka-san gave me. Somehow it felt like it was something I would never forget.

A few more minutes and we pulled up in front of Tezuka-san's house. A man, I estimated to be about Jiji's age, was standing outside the house with a pair of gardening scissors in hand. He paused from pruning the Jinchoge upon seeing the Crossover pull over.

/ Oji-san is gardening. / thought Tezuka-san.

Only then did I notice the strong resemblance between the older man and my companion. His grandfather's hair was definitely shorter and cleaner cut, but the features were definitely there.

"Thank you for the lift Kazue-san, Adachi-san." He said before unfastening his seatbelt and stepping out of the car. "Please don't trouble yourself Adachi-san, I can fetch my things." He told Jiji.

I too stepped out of the car and helped Tezuka-san with his things, although I did not really do much since Tezuka-san was quite capable of helping himself.

"Ah, Kunimitsu, you're home early." Tezuka-san's grandfather called as he approached us. He looked to my direction and I bowed down to pay respect. My back felt slightly stiffer as I straightened up.

/ What a refined young lady. / I heard him think. I mentally sighed in relief after receiving approval.

"Oh, and who is this pretty young lady?" He asked. I was amazed at how immediately at ease the moment I saw his smile. I chided myself mentally for worrying too much.

"Kazue Tomoyo. I am Tezuka-san's classmate. It's a pleasure to meet you sir." I introduced myself before bowing again.

"Tezuka Kunikazu, Kunimitsu-kun's grandfather. And it's quite a pleasure to meet you too, dear. Kazue, was it?"

"Hai." I confirmed, nodding politely.

"Are you related to Kazue Takano by any chance?" He inquired.

"You know of my grandfather?" I asked, slightly surprised hearing the familiar name.

"Who doesn't? He was the district attorney during my time as the Chief of Police. How is he these days?" Tezuka-san asked.

/ Chief of Police. / Now I understood why I stiffened upon first sight. Tezuka Kunikazu had a natural aura of authority that demanded respect from anyone upon a first meeting. It was not hard to see who Tezuka-san takes after.

"He is doing well, enjoying his retirement. Are you well-acquainted?" I asked.

"Quite. You're grandfather is a good man with many friends. Will you send him my regards?" He requested.

"Of course." I said with a ready nod, not wanting to refuse the kind man his request.

He turned to his grandson and put his hands on his waist. "My my, I didn't think my grandson would know any pretty girls."

Tezuka-san let out a cough while his grandfather let out a hearty laugh.

I felt myself flush at another compliment. "You are quite the charmer yourself, Tezuka-san. Now I see where your grandson took his good looks from." I said, being completely honest.

/ Oh? /

Peeking, I saw that Tezuka-san's cheeks were about the same hue as mine. I was confused for a moment, was he not aware of his appearance as well?

"Ho ho ho! Please call me Kunikazu." He told me as he let out another hearty laugh. "I'd like to think I looked much younger than Kunimitsu when I was his age. He doesn't look fourteen, ne?" He said. "That's because he rarely smiles." He added in a whisper.

I let out a chuckle. "Then just Tomoyo, Kunikazu-san."

"Won't you stay and have tea?" He invited.

I couldn't explain why I felt terrible having to deny him his request. Something about him implored me to not disappoint. "I'm afraid I'll have to decline due to a prior engagement." I excused, bowing my head down in apology.

"And yet you still gave our Kunimitsu-kun a ride home? We should be the ones apologizing for the trouble."

"Oh please don't. Tezuka-san wasn't feeling well and your house was along the way. I quite enjoy the company and have asked him if he would catch a ride home on other days as well."

Kunikazu-san seemed to have perked up after hearing this. "So we'll be seeing more of you then?" He asked.

"If you don't mind." I replied.

"Of course not! So you will stay for tea next time, yes?" He asked.

"If you wish." I said. The salt and pepper haired man's smile grew wider, drawing out his handsome features further.

"I'll be looking forward to it then." He said.

Tezuka-san cleared his throat once more, making us aware of his presence.

"Well, don't let this old man keep you. It was a pleasure meeting you, Tomoyo-chan. I look forward to the next one." He told me.

I bowed down once more and bade Tezuka-san and Kunikazu-san goodbye before getting in the car with Adachi-jiji.

"Good man?" Adachi-jiji inquired as soon as I closed the door.

"Very." I told him before averting my gaze outside the window. "If only Tezuka-san would smile, ne?" I mused, loud enough for Jiji to hear.

My wise chauffeur let out another laugh. "Why don't you make him then?"

It almost sounded like a challenge. His curved up eyes met my surprised ones in the rearview for a moment. Remembering Tezuka-san's advise earlier, I felt myself break into a smile.

"Maybe I'll try, Jiji. Maybe I'll try."

**--**

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**Author's Notes:**

Wahhhh! I'm soooooooooorry to everyone who reads and was reading this! The truth is I had a draft of this chapter done but have forgotten to look at it since! I was planning on writing up the 6th chapter when I found I'd already done it! Oh my goshhhhh! I'm really really sorry! I hope you like this update, though it's not particularly eventful. I'm gonna start getting a move on in the following chapters though, so I hope you guys stay tuned!

Also, I'd like to apologise again because I can't make guarantees of regular updates! (kill me now...) Uni is pretty full on and i'm still trying to adjust to it so I hope you'll all be patient and bear with me a little longer!

Anyways, ConCrit highly appreciated. I sincerely apologise and hope you enjoyed!

Shout-outs!

**Love in snow- **I've been saying this too much, but I'm definitely flattered (really really!). Thank you sooo much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this update! Please continue supporting Deciphering an Enigma! :)

**Morning's Triumphant Blaze- **I hope it was pleasantly unexpected? Thank you, I'll try to update quicker! ^^'

**Akayuki-rin**- Yeah, I notice I can't avoid being comical in writing fics. I've tried to tone down the extreme humour in this one though! Hopefully I'm more consistent! thanks so much for supporting both fics! hope I don't disappoint!

**Riropin-** Sorry for making u confused! Well I can guarantee there won't be much scientific stuff after that.. not for a while at least... ahahah.. I made Fuji's mind sinister because I wanted to stress his sadistic nature in this story. I don't know why. I think I just had a random urge to demonise Fuji's character.. LOL!

**Mitchy-** Thanks! Hope you liked this update.. if ur still reading..?

**Wolfspeaker01- **Well, for one, Tezuka sings to a song he likes, although only in his head. I think music is infectious and that even the ice prince can't be spared... so yeahh.. ahaha! thanks a lot for reading! glad u enjoyed it!

**Eiji-Fuji- **Thank you... I'm really flattered!

**Cooper Write Crafter- **Thanks for always leaving insightful feedback! I know I would probably never see my mistakes without anyone pointing it out, so I really appreciate your reviews. I'm working on the consistency bit right now, trying to town down the comical humour. I think you're right, especially since I don't intend to make this a humour fic. I really am flattered about all the things good things you say about me. Although I know I'm not really there yet, I'll keep trying! Thanks so much!

**fujilovesme- **Lol.. I guess being spontaneous pays off! glad you enjoyed it! i would've thought many Tezuka fans would want to kill me after reading that! Thanks!

**haunted-witch- **He must right? I mean, I would never be able to live with myself knowing a guy NATURALLY has better legs than I do. LOL! thank you for respecting my writing style. and ur right, I shouldn't let what others say bother me.

**I-Eat-My-Vegetables- **Thanks... I really wanted to make it this way for a change.. I mean, how many times have you seen the same thing over and over? I know I do it sometimes, but I hope I never fully resort to it.

**Lia-** 'Pantsed'.. I'm loving the term! Thank you for the review and for the support for both stories! although this is delayed.. I hope school is treatin ya well..!

**darkcherrykiryu93-** Lol! thanks! i hope i didn't take toooo much time updating? really appreciate it and I hope ur still following! Dw, when I find the time, I'll definitely read one or a couple of ur fics!

**arirido-** LOLz! I'm glad u liked that! I was thinking people might murder me for doing that to Tezuka.. Surprised I got the opposite reaction... thank you!!

**hemiyami- **thanks! if ur still reading this, i hope u enjoyed this chapter! I'll try to update asap.. but looks like uni would be preventing me from doing so!


	7. The 'I'm Sorry' Habit

**Author's Note:**

Ah! I totally butchered Coldplay in the previous chapter. I don't even know why I put it in two words, and it was several times too! You'll find I've corrected it now! Thanks to Cooper for pointing it out!

Again, sorry for the delayed update! I hope you guys enjoy this! Things are set to get a move on after this chapter, so please hang tight!

**--**

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**Chapter 7**

The 'I'm Sorry' Habit

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"Kazue-dono? Kazue-dono?" Adachi-jiji called, both his voice and shaking gentle as he tried to stir me awake. "We're here."

I looked outside the car window lethargically and took a few good minutes before finally I was able to distinguish my surroundings. On the sidewalk was a magazine shack stationed right outside a small bakery that was already open for business, despite the lonely hours of the morning. A middle-aged lady is watering bouquets of vibrant flowers, the specific breed difficult to distinguish due to my distance from the still closed flower shop. Our car was currently stationed at our usual parking space a few blocks away from school. Today we had arrived a tad early. I could still count the number of students entering our school's main gate with one hand.

Stretching my arms, I let out another exhausted yawn before lazily starting to gather my items. Once all my necessities were accounted for, I again leaned back on the seat and made myself comfortable.

"Five more minutes?" I asked sleepily. I could hear Jiji let out a chuckle.

"You have time. Would you like to make it thirty?" My old chauffeur suggested.

I let out a groan of approval, if you could combine the two. Adachi-jiji tinkered with a few buttons and soon Mozart was playing softly on the car stereos before I could go back to my long desired nap.

A sudden, sharp, high frequency noise pierced through my ears, painfully ripping the brief moment of tranquility that my mind had just come to achieve. My eyes snapped wide open while my hands instinctively, protectively, covered my ears. My gritted teeth started to relax as my brain's own frequency knobs adjusted itself to normal. Soon I was hearing the voices in my head, a while later I was able to tune them out.

"Are you okay, dono? What happened?" Now, his was the only voice I could hear. Adachi-jiji looked back from the driver's seat, concern strewn all over his face.

My breathing was still uneven from the shock and though slightly disoriented, I was able to nod my head in response. "I guess my mental 'alarm clock' had just rung." I managed to joke.

It seems there is a need to develop my sense of humor, as my 'joke' was evidently unable to relieve the worry in Jiji's face.

"But I did not turn off the music." Adachi-jiji said, obviously perplexed by the occurring events. Only then did I hear the classical music that was still playing in the background, sparking my curiosity as well.

"Odd." I murmured audibly. Shrugging my shoulders, I put on a reassuring smile before gathering my school items. "Well, it seems I won't be able to take a nap now. See you later then, Jiji?"

There was no trace of relief in Jiji's face as he reluctantly nodded his head, before stepping out of the car. "Are you sure you're fit enough to attend your classes today, Kazue-dono?" He asked after having opened the passenger door for me.

I widened my smile before nodding my head enthusiastically. "Of course! I have a mission after all."

--

I let out a sigh as I walked through the empty corridors. It really was far too early. I could hear each step echo loudly on the hollow walls, the narrow darkness resembling a dark void. Every now and then I would peer inside a classroom, some vacant, others with a few sleeping students—their faces jaundiced under the dimly lit lights. It was so early in the morning, and though the desolate grounds gave peace to my seldom silent mind, it also reminded me of an all too familiar loneliness.

Finally I reached the locker bay. I felt another yawn make its way up my throat as soon as I opened my locker door. I was instantly reminded of my annoyance with Katagawa-san. Although my decision to try out for the swim team enlightened her, she was not too keen on cutting down our already shortened after-school lab sessions. So, despite my incessant protesting, Katagawa-san used her authority to demand we make up for lost time by having before-school sessions, as though the after-school ones weren't torture enough. I almost had my way, had it not been for the poor, recently taken test results she held as evidence against me. I found that the only benefit I could gain from the arrangement was my acquiring Toshiro-san's expertise to assist my preparation for the swimming try-outs. Though knowing it is completely biased, shall I get in trouble for being inattentive in class; Katagawa-san is to blame.

I slid the classroom door open and was only half-surprised to see the chair next to mine already occupied. With a pen in hand, he diligently took notes from the open textbook on his desk.

// Kazue is here. // He thought.

"Ohayou, Tezuka-san." I greeted as I approached my desk. Inwardly I wondered how he knew it was I without having to look.

"Ohayou." He replied, pausing from his note-taking to face me. I was greeted with the same, constantly expressionless face.

"Anou, when I came in, you didn't look up. Had you known it was me?" I inquired, hopefully I was inconspicuous.

"Aa. I passed by your vehicle on my way." He answered.

"I see." Although I was already used to it, I couldn't help but let out a chuckle as I pulled out my seat.

He eyed me oddly this time.

"I'm sorry Tezuka-san. It's just—did you have breakfast this morning?" I finally asked wondering if Tezuka-san's stoicism was actually caused by the lack of blood sugar.

"Hai." He continued to stare at me oddly.

"I'm sorry. I just wonder how it's possible to be in a gloom this early in the morning. But I guess it's natural for you." I told him.

//Gloom?// He inwardly repeated, sounding slightly offended. I soon realized my poor choice of words again caused me to be misunderstood.

"I mean. I mean I don't mean." I stammered. By now, one of Tezuka-san's brows was arced questioningly. I raised my hand with my palm facing him, telling him to give me a moment to organize my thoughts. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to be offensive. By you 'being in a gloom', I was actually pertaining to the fact that you rarely smile, or have a sense of humor. Actually, I believe you have neither." I added playfully.

// I do have a sense of humor. // Came his mental rebuttal, although the tone he used in his head sounded uncertain. "Simply because there is no reason to." Tezuka-san pushed his glasses up by its bridge before returning to work.

I could tell he didn't want to linger on the topic any further, his thoughts were crystal clear. Yet the statement he'd left plucked the strings of my curiosity. "Oh?" I started, taking my seat and perching my head on both my hands.

"And for what reasons would Tezuka-san smile?" I leaned forward, intending to invade his territory. With squinted, suspicious eyes I looked up at him and waited for his reply.

I felt slightly vain after seeing the sudden image of my face in his mind. I let out another chuckle. My surprise tactic seemed to work. Again, I caught the great Tezuka Kunimitsu off-guard. My stoic seatmate leaned back on his chair, an alien red color staining his cheeks. I almost doubled over in laughter after he cleared his throat albeit awkwardly. You can forget 'almost', I did erupt into laughter.

// If she wants to play games... //

I watched as Tezuka-san spun his pen with his thumb and middle-finger repeatedly. He eyed me with calculating eyes before speaking. "I'm afraid I am not obligated to tell you." By now he was spinning the pen using all fingers, from his smallest finger to his thumb then from thumb back to his smallest finger. He was seemingly smug, bored.

I was almost distracted by his amazing pen handling skills. Almost. I was more amused by the rare opportunity to see Tezuka-san's slightly playful side. It was not exactly 'playful' per se, but nevertheless, it was a side I, or anyone, would've never thought existed. Instead of asking him if he practices pen tricks as a hobby, I instead mocked a pout.

"And here I thought you and I were friends." I joked. Like always, my novice acting skills failed me and Tezuka-san remained silent as he kept twirling the pen with fingers.

"Maa." I huffed. "I guess if you don't want to tell me, then I'll have to find out myself, ne?" I said. Tezuka-san merely shrugged as he watched me place my bag on top of my desk from the corner of his eye.

I was about to take out my pencil case when something caught my attention. I reached the small item from the bottom of my bag and almost simpered when I remembered my earlier theory.

"Ne Tezuka-san. Do you mind teaching me how to do that trick with the pen?" I asked, fishing out my own pen.

"I believe there are much more important things needed to be done." He said in his usual monotone. He finally caught the pen with his thumb and index finger and leaned forward again to get back to the work I was perpetually keeping him from.

Unwilling to take a 'no', I pulled the small item for my bag and raised it up so he could see. "What if I compensate with a Mars bar?" Surely everyone likes chocolate, right? I have yet to see a person who doesn't. Besides maybe the sugar would give him much needed endorphins.

// Maybe I should just give her what she wants. She'll probably stop after that. //

"I'll show you the most basic one." He leaned back on his seat and motioned me to observe his left hand carefully. Slowly he rotated the pen with his middle and thumb fingers. He effortlessly caught the pen after it spun a perfect 360 degrees, returning to its original position.

I placed the chocolate bar on his desk before picking up a pen and deciding to try it myself. I instantly failed as the pen jumped off my hand and landed on the desk instead.

"It's much easier to use something slightly heavier." He told me as he, once again, went back to his note-taking.

I took out a mechanical pencil that slightly weighed more than the pen I was using and instantly understood what he meant. The pen still ended up on the table, but at least it didn't jump off my hand anymore. "So you really do practice pen tricks as a hobby." I mused between one of my many failed attempts.

He didn't answer me this time, keeping his focus on the work he was set to finish. Soon his mind began to justify his 'hobby'. // It's a good physics exercise, solving for the torque needed to keep the pen spinning. //

If I were a character in a manga or anime, a large bead of sweat would've probably trickled down the back of my head. That or I would've fallen off my seat. The thought was just too much a Tezuka Kunimitsu generic response. I should've long learned not to expect anything from him.

"While we're at it, do chocolates happen to be one of the things that would make Tezuka-san smile?" I asked.

Tezuka-san didn't bother replying verbally. // Momoshiro probably. //

"I shall take that as a 'no'?" I said after another failed attempt. The one-sided conversation ended there and soon, the only sounds that could be heard were Tezuka-san's pen scribbling swiftly on the pages of his notebook, and mine repeatedly hitting the desk with a resounding click.

A few more minutes passed and finally the silence was broken.

"Yatta!" I exclaimed joyously. What perfect timing, I was beginning to feel the frustration chew on my patience. Finally, after a million or so failed attempts, I was able to succeed. In my hand was the pen that had rotated three hundred and sixty degrees and did not land on the godforsaken desk.

"Finally I did it! Did you see?" I asked my seatmate excitedly.

"Congratulations." Tezuka-san said, though his mundane tone didn't make it seem like he was happy about my accomplishment.

"Look. I'll show you." I told him, eager to flaunt my newly honed skill. I twirled the pen the way I did countless times, and it spun a full revolution before landing on… my desk.

"Argh!" I grunted, flustered. "Why won't it work now that there is a witness?"

"You don't have to prove anything. I believe you." I heard his baritone voice say. I looked at my seatmate and saw him put his textbook to a close. From flustered, I instantly felt guilty and ashamed.

"I'm sorry Tezuka-san. That was inconsiderate of me. I barely noticed that I was keeping you from doing your work. Please do continue. I promise I won't be a nuisance." I said, hopefully showing remorse as I bowed my head down apologetically.

"You did nothing of the sort. I've already finished so there isn't anything else I need to do." He told me. His consistent, monotonic manner of speaking did no help in calming my guilt-stricken conscience.

"Still, I'm sorry for being inconsiderate." I kept my head down knowing there was no excuse for my actions.

The air seemed thicker for a moment as the silence grew deafening. I dared not to look up until I heard a silent ripping sound.

The relief I felt after seeing Tezuka-san eating the chocolate I'd given him was incomprehensible. The simple act gave me a strange happiness, as though he'd taken it as a peace offering and accepted my apology.

"Arigatou." I felt myself smile without knowing the reason why.

"Aa." Was his mere reply, yet it was the only response I needed.

Silence fell upon us once again, though it was a typical thing when with Tezuka-san. I felt myself shift uncomfortably on my seat and soon I found myself checking my watch in minute intervals. It was now forty past the hour, and there was a good twenty minutes left before the first bell. I tapped my finger on the desk compulsively before finally pushing my chair backwards. Tezuka-san looked up at me inquiringly.

"I think I might go for a walk. There's more than enough time." I stood up and immediately felt all my blood rush to my head. I quickly put both hands on my desk, leaning on it for support. When I composed myself, I saw Tezuka-san staring at me unnervingly.

I let out a nervous chuckle. "I think I've been sitting down too much." I told him. "I guess I'll be heading off now." I bade him before I could seem anymore suspicious.

I was making my way to the door when I heard something scrape slightly against the floor. I was surprised to see Tezuka-san in tow when I looked back.

"Walking does not seem like a bad idea." He said, his tone, or rather lack of, not giving anything away.

Just as we stepped in front of the door, it slid open and revealed Sumatomo-kun, one of our male classmates.

"Ohayou." I greeted him, smiling and bowing as I did.

The boy with the wild orange hair stared at me, then at Tezuka-san, with wide eyes before stuttering his morning greeting. "O-ohayou."

// What's going on with Kazue-san and Tezuka-san? // He wondered.

I furrowed my brows as his mental question confused me. Did it seem like there was anything going on between Tezuka-san and I? If so, what? I decided to disregard the thought when I figured it was something I wouldn't understand.

Only after having stepped out of the classroom did I notice the significant increase in the number of students that were now at school. And only when I found difficulty in tuning out the various, raiding voices was I reminded of the fatigue I felt earlier this morning. Luckily I was walking next to the wall, as I had to lean on it for support when I felt my knees buckle. Suddenly everything was spinning, various distorted faces seeming to sneer at me, their voices screeching.

Finally I heard that high-frequency noise again. Then instantly there was a thick silence before I heard a rapid thumping. Was it my heart? Why couldn't I feel it racing? Something felt tight around my waist and I could not distinguish what it was. It felt both warm and strong as I struggled and failed to pry it off me. The last thing I remember seeing before the darkness was my face, though it was in black and white, save for the red fluid that trickled down my nose.

**--**

I awoke to a loud buzzing sound, and soon I realized it was the numerous voices I was hearing inside my head. I still had a hard time tuning the voices out this time, yet it was much easier than a while ago. I blinked a few times and found myself somewhere unfamiliar. Looking to my left, I saw a big cupboard and three beds lined up in rows. To my right was a side table, there was an opened box of aspirin and a glass of water on top of it. Close to it was a chair, and sitting on it was a familiar figure that almost made me gape.

Through the window, the morning sun shone on his fair face, lighting up his handsome features. I only noticed how toned his arms were as he folded them across his chest. His tousled hair looked a lighter shade of brown under the sunlight. Through thick and long lashes he was looked at me with an unreadable expression. I let out a sigh. Tezuka-san was such a pretty boy, not to mention he had perfectly hairless legs. Inwardly I wondered if he was vain. I almost let out a chuckle, what were the odds of that? Despite the unlikelihood, it would be highly amusing if I discovered it to be true.

"How are you feeling dear?" Feminine voice interrupted. I looked forward and found an older lady clad in white. A nurse? I presumed, seeing she was wearing a nurse's cap on her head. My assumption proved to be correct when the lady walked to my side and took my arm in her cold hand. She placed her index and middle finger on my wrist and began to check my pulse.

"Nauseous" was the first word that came to me, despite all the other things I felt. The nurse smiled just before she put my arm down.

"That's understandable." She said whilst taking note of my pulse on a data sheet.

"Understandable?" I repeated, confused by what the nurse said.

"Well nausea is a common menstrual experience." She said in a tone that suggested it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"M-menstrual experience?" I scoffed out. In a speed that almost gave my neck a whiplash, I looked to my right to see Tezuka-san, arms still folded across his chest, though there was a slight change in his facial expression. To me it appeared like he did not want to be there. And when things started to register in my mind, so did I.

I felt my face heat up and I could only imagine how red my face must be this very moment.

"Oh dear." The nurse said. "Is this your first time?" She asked me, already guessing from the expression on my face.

I nodded stiffly. This time both the nurse and I looked to Tezuka-san's direction. He remained perfectly still, as though he was a statue that had been molded onto the seat.

"Well, have you been prepped for this at all?" The nurse asked me.

I whisked my head. "I'm afraid not." I told her honestly.

She cleared her throat before looking at Tezuka-san once again. "Kazue-san, follow me to the Ladies' room please."

The nurse took a key out of her pocket before opening the door to the Ladies' room. Feeling light-headed, I tried to hop off the bed and felt my legs wobble slightly when I stood on them.

// Take it easy. //

That was when Tezuka-san finally shifted from his position. I was surprised to find him standing next to me in a split second. He helped me steady myself and I felt my face flush once again.

"T-thank you." I stammered, still embarrassed with the turn of events. Without another word, I followed the nurse into the ladies room. Not risking a glance at my stoic friend.

**--**

"You can go into one of the cubicles." The nurse instructed. I merely nodded and did as told. I knew enough of this monthly cycle to know what to do next, but a personal experience is never the same as what the books say.

"I'm bleeding!" I panicked. My vision became misty as my eyes started to water. What was happening to me?

"Now now, Kazue-san, let's keep our voices down. We wouldn't want Tezuka-kun to overhear us now would we?" The nurse asked.

"No. But I never thought it would be this… this disgusting." My voice cracked as I let the tears fall from my eyes.

"Now now, Kazue-san, menstruation is natural occurrence to women. Many girls your age, some even younger are already experiencing it. You're not the only one." She reassured me. "In fact you should be happy, from now on you're no longer a girl but a young lady." She said in a commending tone.

Although she couldn't see me, I nodded my head, trying to take comfort in what she told me. I stifled my sobs and tried to compose myself. "So what do I do now nurse-san?" I asked.

The older lady let out a chuckle. "You can call me Minami-san, Kazue-chan." She said.

"Hai. So what do I do now, Minami-san?" I repeated.

**--**

By the time I came out of the Ladies' room with Minami-san, my head was filled with knowledge I was not so sure I wanted to be aware of.

"So will it always be like this every month?" I asked her as we walked to where Tezuka-kun—san, was.

"It's different for each person. This is actually the first time I've seen someone have a nosebleed and faint." Minami-san told me. "Did you do anything strenuous before coming to school today?" She asked.

"Aa. I did some… training for the swim try-outs before coming to school this morning." I informed her. // Training and other things you needn't know about. // I thought.

She nodded her head, seeming to comprehend something. "Ah. That's probably the reason. Women are usually more sensitive during this time of the month, so it's better not to over-exert yourself around this time." She advised.

I nodded my head, mentally taking note of her advice.

"Well, lucky you had Tezuka-kun by your side when it happened, ne?" said Minami-san.

Again I felt my cheeks burn. I had almost forgotten about Tezuka-san, the boy who apparently brought me to the infirmary when I fainted, also the boy who heard every mortifying detail about—well, you know what.

Tezuka-san was in the same position he was in when I came to. Minami-san turned to him, her head tilted sideward in question. "Has your headache subsided, Tezuka-kun?" She asked.

I felt my head tilt as well when I heard the nurse's question.

Tezuka-san rose from his seat and nodded his head. "Hai." He said monotonously.

"That's good. Now if you need any more aspirin, you can come back here and ask for some." She told him.

"Hai. Arigatou." Tezuka-san said, bowing down in gratitude.

"Well, you two should probably head back now before the bell rings. Both of you take a late-pass just in case." Minami-san said, ripping two yellow slips of paper from her desk and handing us one each.

"Arigatou!" Both Tezuka-san and I chorused. We stared at each other oddly before leaving for our classroom.

It was a quiet walk back. Most students were now inside their respective classrooms as there were only a couple of minutes left before the first bell rung. I noticed Tezuka-san was walking closer to me now, prepared in case there is a repeat of the earlier incident. I played with the bottom of my blouse as I rounded up the courage to speak. Tezuka-san beat me to it.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, not hinting anything from the tone of his voice.

"Much better." I told him. Again we fell quiet. When the silence became unbearable, I decided to speak.

"You had a headache?" I asked, remembering Minami-san's question.

He merely nodded his head.

"A-anou…" I abruptly stopped in my tracks. The guilt I felt was overcoming. "Thank you for all that you've done. Who knows what would've happened if you hadn't been there with me when I fainted." I said.

Noticing that I'd stopped, Tezuka-san also came to a halt. He turned around and looked at me with the same apathetic expression. Not being able to withstand his stare, I lowered my gaze to the floor.

"Also, I'm deeply sorry for troubling you, especially when you were already suffering from a headache. I've always been dependent on others, and I'm sorry for being a burden to you as well."

// What is it with this girl and apologies? //

"What are you on about? You had no idea of what was to happen. You don't need to apologize." He told me. Though his baritone voice remained perfectly monotonous, it almost felt as though he was reprimanding me, telling me off for seeking forgiveness.

"Yes, but—And a while ago, you did not have to stay with me. And you heard all that. You must be disgusted with me." Yes. If I myself were appalled, then Tezuka-san was probably revolted by me now. "I would understand perfectly if you did not want to see me again." I told him, struggling to hold back my tears from falling.

"Kazue, you're being ridiculous."

His statement made me look up and I felt intimidated when I saw his incensed face. "But—"

"When you asked me to be your friend, I had no intention of being the fair-weathered kind." He started. All it took him was one cold stare and instantly I found myself speechless.

"As a matter of fact, I feel insulted that you would think of me as the type who would discriminate against a person, especially for something natural like menstruation. If that's the kind of person you would like to be friends with, then I'm afraid I'm not the person for the job." He told me flatly.

// What the hell are you doing, Kunimitsu? //

For some strange reason, I felt the need to let out a chuckle. Soon I was bursting in fits. I clutched my stomach as I laughed like I never did before. I caught a glimpse of Tezuka-san's face, it was a mix of its natural stoicism and confusion.

I tried hard to compose myself before speaking. "I'm, I'm sorry, Tezuka-san." I said in between fits. "Y-you said 'menstruation'." Again I erupted in laughter. Right now, Tezuka-san was livid. The first bell finally rang and Tezuka-san and I were still standing in the deserted stair case.

I held my hand up, signaling him to wait, while my other hand kept clutching my stomach. When finally I was able to subdue my laughter, I straightened myself up and faced him.

"I'm sorry, Tezuka-san. I did not intend to make fun of you, especially not at a moment like that. I know it's immature but that 'that word' coming from you sounded awkward to me." I said, letting out another chuckle.

I heard him sigh. He pushed the bridge of his glasses up and I knew the wick of Tezuka-san's patience was quickly burning out.

"I'm sorry, Tezuka-san. The truth is I am very happy. What you told me was so overwhelming that I could only erupt into hysteria. I did not mean to offend you, it's just I thought, if I were initially disgusted with myself, then what more you? I truly am sorry. I really did not mean it to be insulting." I told him as earnestly as I could.

I think it's safe to say that once again, I caught Tezuka-san by surprise. Though his face was blank, his eyes were evidently wider. He remained silent as I laughed a bit more.

// Go ahead, laugh until you're satisfied. // This immediately brought me to a stop and I looked up to find Tezuka-san staring at me patiently.

"I'm sorry Tezuka-san, I don't think I'll ever be satisfied until I do this." I took three steps up and closed the gap between Tezuka-san and I with an embrace. "Hontou ni arigatou, Tezuka-san." I whispered before letting go.

I knew well what the effect of my action would be. I grinned widely when I saw Tezuka-san's red face as he rigidly stood there, stiff as a cardboard. It still amazes me how such simple contact had such a starkly scary effect on him. It was almost as if he was allergic to physical contact. "Ne Tezuka-san, we should hurry back to class. We're already late as it is." I told him.

I tuned out of his mind while he pushed his glasses up by the bridge and gave me a nod. Soon he was back to his cool and stoic demeanor. "Aa." He said, following in tow.

// Eleven times just this morning. //

"I'm sorry?" I stopped abruptly and turned around. "I didn't quite understand what you said." I apologized.

His brows knitted together as he eyed me questioningly. "I didn't say anything." He said.

I almost let out a gasp. Had I just answered to his thoughts? But I've already channeled out his thoughts from my mind. Had I left myself in my telepathic state? Though there isn't another soul lingering in the corridor other than ours, I should still hear other people's voices in my head, yet there was only one voice. It was lone. It was clear. It was his.

"Kazue?" He called, staring at me so closely that it almost felt invading. "We'll be late for class." He reminded, before overtaking and walking ahead of me.

"G-gomen." I stammered before silently following behind him. Maybe I had just forgotten to tune him out of my head. To make sure, I closed my eyes and tried to block out all the noise until all I could hear were the sounds of our heels tapping as we walked.

// Thirteen. //

My eyelids flew wide open and with utter shock I stared at his moving back.

What on earth is happening?

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**Author's Note:**

Just a little note, if you haven't figured it out (as I was a bit vague on this part of the story) Tezuka was actually counting how many times Tomoyo said "I'm sorry" in his head. I think it was roughly thirteen (more or less).

Ah… weird things are starting to happen to our main character. Explanations to come in the following chapters so please stay tuned!

I tried to put 100% into this chapter, and I'm sorry if it still came out sloppy. I usually work on chapters in one sitting, but I had to do this one in spans of days. So if you find any inconsistencies—I hope not—then I apologize for that! Feel free to point them out so I can fix them ASAP. Arigatou!

Anyway, I hope everyone had a good read. Please do review! I highly appreciate them, like the chocolates I got from Easter! And see you all in the next chapter! =)


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